Kenyan court stops ground breaking ceremony of proposed Dangote Refinery in Kenya
Lagos, Sept. 2026 – A Kenyan court has stopped the ground breaking ceremony of the proposed Dangote Refinery in Lamu in Kenya until further notice.
According to a Bloomberg report, Judge Jane Onyango of Kenya Environment and Land Court gave the directive on Monday, ordering a return to “the status quo prevailing” be maintained.
The report said some farmers and local inhabitants of Chandavai, an area in Lamu County, the proposed site of the refinery, opposed the move, citing cases of “forceful eviction” and the destruction of their properties.
The court said it would provide further directions on the case on October 14, according to the order, which was issued on September 25 but made public on Monday.
George Wakahiu, a lawyer representing the petitioners, told Bloomberg that the ruling means no construction of the project should begin until the court meets on October 14.
According to the petitioners, the Dangote refinery project entailed “forceful eviction of the plaintiffs from their lands, damage and destruction of their properties and yet there is no resettlement plan for them.”
Dangote and the Kenyan authorities have yet to comply with the nation’s environmental code that requires “a mandatory environmental impact assessment be done before the implementation of any major project,” they said.
The refinery also fails to comply with Kenya’s constitution “which requires that the necessary public participation” be conducted, according to the court filings, the report stated.
