Aliko Dangote said a Kenyan court order over land linked to his planned Lamu refinery will not delay the project’s groundbreaking, comparing the case to a dispute he faced in Senegal.
The Malindi Environment and Land Court has ordered parties to maintain “status quo prevailing” on land earmarked for Aliko Dangote’s planned Lamu refinery, until a hearing on 14 October. Justice Jane Onyango dated the order 25 September, though it was not made public until Monday.
The lawsuit was filed by 133 residents of Chandavai, an area in Lamu County. The residents say the land where the refinery will be built is their ancestral heritage, and that their families have lived and farmed there for generations.
Dangote Group, the conglomerate owned by Aliko Dangote, addressed the order in a statement: “The court has not halted the groundbreaking ceremony of the refinery at this stage. However, activities at the site may be affected by the ruling as both parties are required not to carry activities until the case is heard on 14th October.”
Addressing an investor event in Nairobi on Tuesday, Dangote said he expects the refinery project to go ahead.
“I’m sure some of you must have seen one court (has) given an order that we shouldn’t do any construction? I said no, no. This is normal for us in Africa. … In fact, this is even small,” he said. “Anyone who wants to cause trouble, we are ready for them.”
The Lamu refinery aims to replicate the outcome of Dangote’s 700,000 bpd plant near Lagos, Nigeria. The Lagos plant turned Nigeria from a fuel importer into a fuel exporter. Nigeria is Sub-Saharan Africa’s largest oil producer; Kenya currently has no commercial oil output.
Dangote has said the Lamu refinery will cost $15 billion to $16 billion, and he expects to complete it by 2030.
The case returns to court on 14 October. Khusoko reported on the residents’ petition and the land dispute on 28 September.
