A Kenyan presidential aspirant, Patrick Osoi, has threatened to stop Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote’s proposed $16 billion refinery project in Kenya if elected president in 2027.
Osoi, a former Kenyan Defence Forces (KDF) soldier, said Kenyan businesspeople should be given the opportunity to establish and operate the refinery instead of relying on foreign investors.
He made the remarks while addressing supporters of his political movement, arguing that local investors had the resources and capacity to execute the project.
“I want to tell Aliko Dangote, please don’t rush to start the refinery because when I’m sworn in as President of Kenya next year, you will be heading back to Nigeria,” Osoi said in a video posted online by A.M Media.
“We Kenyans have businesspeople who can start the refinery. I want to tell Dangote, please, don’t hurry up to start the refinery, because by next year, February, the time I’m sworn in as the president of this country, you’ll be back going to Nigeria,” he added.
Osoi maintained that Kenya had the businesses and resources required to undertake the project, insisting that his movement supported greater participation by domestic investors in major industrial developments.
The aspirant’s declaration comes amid growing controversy surrounding Dangote’s proposed refinery in Lamu County, a multibillion-dollar investment backed by Kenyan President William Ruto.
Dangote and Ruto attended the project’s groundbreaking ceremony in Lamu on September 30, 2026.
The proposed refinery is expected to process up to 700,000 barrels of crude oil daily and serve Kenya and the wider East African market.
Supporters of the project say it could strengthen regional energy security, create jobs, stimulate industrial development and reduce East Africa’s dependence on imported petroleum products.
However, the investment has attracted opposition from residents, civil society organisations and politicians over land ownership, compensation, environmental protection and transparency surrounding the project agreement.
On September 28, 2026, 133 residents filed a legal challenge at the Environment and Land Court in Malindi, seeking to halt the development.
The residents alleged that land designated for the refinery included ancestral property their families had occupied, cultivated and developed for generations without adequate compensation or resettlement arrangements.
The dispute has raised questions about the consultation process and whether the rights of affected communities were adequately addressed before the project advanced.
The Kenyan government has defended the land arrangements, with Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome saying that the largest portion of the land designated for the project was public land. She also maintained that legitimate claims by landowners and occupants would be addressed.
Environmental concerns have also emerged over the proposed development.
On October 10, 2026, the Kenya News Agency reported that Save Lamu, a civil society organisation based in Lamu County, demanded the public release of documents demonstrating the project’s compliance with legal, environmental and public-participation requirements.
The organisation raised concerns about the absence of publicly available project-specific environmental and social impact assessment documents, details of the relevant environmental licence and its conditions, as well as unresolved land-compensation issues.
Save Lamu warned that legal action could follow if its concerns were not addressed.
Meanwhile, opposition politicians have called for greater transparency regarding the project’s financing and any proposed government investment.
