President William Ruto will break ground for the proposed Sh2 trillion East Africa Refinery in Lamu as he begins a development tour of the Coast region on Saturday.
The refinery, a joint project between the Kenyan Government and Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote, is expected to process crude oil from Lokichar in Turkana County and supply refined petroleum products to markets across East and Central Africa.
During talks with Aliko Dangote in the US earlier in the week, President William Ruto expressed Kenya's readiness to unveil the project.
“We are ready to break ground on the East Africa refinery in Lamu,” Ruto said, adding that the project would “enhance the region’s energy security, deepen local value addition, create jobs and advance our industrialisation agenda.”
On September 3, 2026, Dangote announced that the refinery would break ground on September 30 while speaking to investors and analysts in Gaborone, Botswana.
The planned refinery is expected to process 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day, making it the largest refinery in East Africa if completed as planned.
It is expected to strengthen Kenya’s energy security by supporting a reliable supply of petroleum products and create more than 500,000 jobs.
Ruto’s tour will cover Taita-Taveta, Kwale, Kilifi, Mombasa, Tana River and Lamu counties, where he will assess government projects and engage residents and local leaders on development priorities.
The President will begin the tour in Taita-Taveta, where he is expected to issue 31,318 title deeds to residents of Mwatate and Voi constituencies.
In Kwale, 94,175 title deeds will be issued to beneficiaries in Lunga Lunga, Msambweni and Kinango constituencies.
A further 36,826 title deeds will be distributed in Kilifi, while 4,360 will be issued in Mombasa. Lamu and Tana River will receive another 22,770 title deeds.
The issuance forms part of the government’s plan to distribute 500,000 title deeds in the Coast region to address longstanding land ownership and squatter-related challenges.
The documents are expected to give beneficiaries formal ownership of their land and enable them to use the properties for economic activities.
During the tour, Ruto will also commission completed projects, inspect ongoing works and launch new development projects across the six counties.