Ruto Fires Back at Sifuna: “You Were Sent by a Sponsor to Take Dangote to Court”

President William Ruto has responded to concerns raised by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna over the agreement surrounding the planned Dangote East Africa Oil Refinery in Lamu.

Sifuna had called for greater transparency over the multibillion-shilling project, saying Parliament had not been given access to the agreement or adequately briefed on the commitments Kenya had made to facilitate the investment. He raised the issue in the Senate on Wednesday, September 30, as the government hosted the groundbreaking ceremony for the refinery.

The proposed refinery, estimated at about KSh2.2 trillion, is expected to have a processing capacity of up to 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day. The project is also expected to support employment, industrial development and the expansion of economic activities around Lamu and the LAPSSET Corridor.

Ruto has maintained that his administration fully supports the investment, describing it as an important step towards strengthening Kenya’s energy security and industrial capacity. He has also urged investors to proceed with confidence despite legal and administrative challenges surrounding the project.

The President’s latest remarks come amid wider public discussion about the terms of the refinery agreement, including the government’s commitments and the role of Parliament in overseeing major projects.

The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Dangote Group President Aliko Dangote and several African leaders and senior government officials. Dangote has announced a 40-month timeline for completing the refinery, with Ruto saying Kenyans would closely monitor the commitment.

The debate over the agreement is therefore expected to continue as construction gets underway, with questions surrounding transparency, parliamentary oversight, investment commitments and the project’s anticipated economic benefits remaining part of the national conversation.

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