Author: Korir Issa

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…

Mombasa Port exported a record 517,131 tonnes in July 2026, up 21.3 percent from 426,164 tonnes a year earlier. Total cargo throughput reached 4.23 million tonnes, up 13.4 percent year on year, according to provisional Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) data published in the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) Leading Economic Indicators for July 2026. Imports and exports drove the gain while transhipment fell sharply. July at a glance Cargo category July 2026 (tonnes) June 2026 (tonnes) Change on June Change on July 2025 Exports 517,131 448,817 +15.2% +21.3% Containerised exports 511,545 443,807 +15.3% n/a Imports 3,532,050 3,119,074 +13.2% +18.9%…

Ethiopia and Djibouti have broken ground on a pipeline that could finally end the country’s costly reliance on fuel trucks, backing a $660 million project with Africa’s richest man. A 120 Kilometre Link Between Two Coasts Workers began construction this week on a pipeline stretching 120 kilometres between Damerjog on Djibouti’s coast and Dewele in eastern Ethiopia. The pipeline connects marine and coastal storage facilities at Damerjog in Djibouti with inland storage and distribution facilities at Dewele in Ethiopia. Once both terminals are running, they will hold over one million cubic metres of fuel between them: roughly 375,000 cubic metres…

The Dangote Group has handed a major engineering consultancy contract to Engineers India Limited (EIL), pushing its planned Lamu mega refinery closer to construction as Kenya prepares to break ground on the project next week. The Indian state-owned firm will serve as Project Management Consultant and Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management Consultant for the refinery, according to a filing disclosed on the Bombay Stock Exchange on September 22. Dangote’s source text puts the contract value at US$450 million, though public records point to a US$350 million EIL award in January 2026 tied to the Lekki refinery expansion in Nigeria, a…

The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has approved the transfer of all business, assets and liabilities of Access Bank (Kenya) Plc to National Bank of Kenya Limited (NBK). Nigeria’s Access Bank PLC owns both lenders. CBK approved the transfer on 17 August 2026 under Section 13(4) of the Banking Act. Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi followed on 21 September under Section 9(1). CBK announced both approvals on 23 September. The transfer takes effect when the parties complete the transaction under the terms of their Business and Assets Transfer Agreement. The release gives no completion date and no transaction value. It…

Belgium and Rwanda restored diplomatic relations on 22 September 2026, ending a break that began when Kigali expelled Belgian diplomats over the war in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Both governments will reopen their embassies soon. Embassies reopen under interim heads The foreign ministries announced the decision in a joint statement issued on the margins of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York. A chargé d’affaires will lead each mission first, and an ambassador will follow. Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said the venue carried weight. “In a world marked by growing tensions, this is…