LAMU, Kenya, October 1, 2026 — Kenyan President William Ruto and Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote presided over the groundbreaking of a proposed $16 billion petroleum refinery in Mokowe, Lamu County, on September 30. Designed to process 700,000 barrels of crude oil daily, the project is intended to expand regional refining capacity and support industrial development, according to official government accounts.
In the presidential social media statement reproduced in the supplied images, Ruto described the investment as a project “set to transform the energy and industrial landscape of Kenya and the region.” The announcement valued the development at approximately KSh2.2 trillion. The ceremony marked the launch of the project rather than the start of refinery operations.
Kenya’s Ministry of Roads and Transport said the planned facility would strengthen energy security, generate employment and create business opportunities in Lamu and surrounding markets. The ministry linked the investment to Lamu Port and the Lamu Port–South Sudan–Ethiopia Transport Corridor, highlighting their role in moving goods and connecting regional economies.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni welcomed the investment while advocating coordinated development of refining capacity across East Africa. “I am very happy about this refinery,” he said, according to Uganda’s State House. He maintained that Uganda would proceed with its own refinery plans and stressed that processing African resources locally could retain more income and employment within the continent.
Skills development featured prominently in the announcement. Kenya’s transport ministry reported that Dangote planned to establish an engineering training school in Lamu, helping local residents prepare for opportunities associated with the refinery. It also reported that more than 110 pieces of equipment were already on site, with another 400 expected within 60 days. These preparations indicate the scale of the proposed undertaking, while employment and economic benefits remain anticipated outcomes.
“Today we break ground in Lamu,” Ruto said in remarks published by Uganda’s State House. Dangote pledged to commission the facility within 40 months. The announcement places local workforce preparation, regional cooperation and greater domestic processing of petroleum resources at the centre of the project’s development ambitions.
