Kenyan presidential aspirant Patrick Osoi has urged Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote to delay plans for a proposed $16 billion oil refinery in Kenya, saying he would prioritise local investors if elected president next year.
Osoi made the remarks in a video circulating online on Sunday while addressing supporters at a Lions Movement event. He argued that Kenyan businesspeople had the capacity to develop the refinery without relying on Dangote.
“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.
He added that Kenya had local investors capable of undertaking the project, describing support for domestic businesspeople as a central part of his political position.
The proposed refinery is planned for Lamu, on Kenya’s coast, with a projected processing capacity of 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day. The facility is intended to serve Kenya and other countries in East Africa.
Dangote and Kenyan President William Ruto reportedly attended the project’s groundbreaking ceremony on September 30, 2026. The refinery is expected to take about 40 months to complete.
The development has also faced local opposition over land ownership, compensation and environmental concerns. A Kenyan court has ordered the maintenance of the status quo in a land dispute connected to the project.
Osoi’s remarks put the proposed investment at the centre of a political debate over local ownership and foreign participation in Kenya’s industrial development.
Further details on Osoi’s alternative refinery proposal, including potential investors, financing arrangements and a construction timeline, were not established in his remarks.
