Muhuri director Khelef Khalifa [in white kanzu] with other rights defenders from the Coast region at Muhuri Legal Aid Clinic in Mombasa on Thursday /BRIAN OTIENO

Muhuri director Khelef Khalifa [in white kanzu] with other rights defenders from the Coast region at Muhuri Legal Aid Clinic in Mombasa on Thursday /BRIAN OTIENO

Civil society groups in Mombasa and Lamu counties are seeking assurances from the government that the proposed multibillion-dollar Dangote oil refinery set for Lamu will be safe for residents.

The activists, led by Muslims for Human Rights (Muhuri), said they welcome the project but are concerned about the safety and security of the local population.

“We are not opposed to investment in Lamu. We welcome investments that create employment, support local business, reduce poverty and contribute to the economic development of Lamu and the wider Coast region,” Muhuri director Khelef Khalifa said on Thursday.

The rights defenders said the government has to pick a position and stand by it instead of holding contradictory stances.

They question how the government can encourage a multibillion-dollar industrial investment requiring thousands of workers, contractors, and suppliers while maintaining night-time movement restrictions.

The activists argue that such an investment relies on the continuous movement of people and goods.

They said the restrictions remain in force despite court orders directing the government to lift them until a court case is heard and determined.

“A refinery of this magnitude cannot operate effectively in an environment where residents and travellers are unable to move freely and safely. Our particular concerns are about the continued night-time movement restrictions on the Lamu–Malindi corridor and the legal basis for their continued enforcement,” Khalifa said.

He said development in Lamu must not come at the expense of freedom of movement, livelihoods, dignity and constitutional rights.

The veteran human rights defender said for about 14 years, residents and travellers on the Lamu–Malindi highway have lived under night-time movement restrictions, commonly referred to as a curfew, ostensibly because of security concerns.

The proposed Dangote oil refinery in Lamu is about $16 billion (about Sh2.2 trillion) mega-project with a planned capacity of 700,000 barrels per day.

Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote of the Dangote Group has set September 30, 2026, for the groundbreaking of his planned oil refinery in Lamu.

The project is expected to take up to three years to complete and will supply refined petroleum products to Kenya and neighbouring countries, helping to reduce the region’s dependence on imported fuel. It will be the largest refinery in East Africa once completed.

Lamu was selected as the site after Dangote Industries considered other locations in East Africa, including Tanzania. Preliminary work, including site selection, soil testing, engineering and design, had already begun by July.

On Thursday, Muhuri wrote an open letter to the chairman of the Dangote Group, asking him to consider halting his planned investment until the Kenyan government adequately addresses its security concerns in Lamu county.

“If the government considers the security situation serious enough to restrict the movement of Lamu residents at night, is it reasonable to proceed with a multibillion-dollar industrial project before those security concerns are adequately addressed?" Khalifa posed.

"It requires a secure environment, functioning infrastructure, respect for the rule of law, and the confidence and cooperation of the local community.” 

“We respectfully urge Dangote Group to consider pausing any final major commitment to the refinery until the government demonstrates meaningful progress in addressing the security concerns along the Lamu–Malindi corridor.”

He called for a long-term security strategy that guarantees lawful, safe and unrestricted movement for residents and travellers, and which respects applicable court orders, to be put in place.

He said Lamu is not merely a location for an industrial project; it is a historically and culturally significant community whose people have experienced decades of marginalisation, Khalifa told Dangote in the letter.

It was copied to Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, Energy CS Opiyo Wandayi and Lamu Governor Issa Timamy.

“We are not asking Dangote to abandon Lamu. We are asking Dangote to help ensure Lamu is safe, secure and free before this major investment proceeds,” Khalifa said.

Lamu Youth Assembly president Nahida Kassim said the double standards being applied by the government are confusing.

“We call upon the government to review and, where no longer legally justified, lift the night-time movement restrictions, respect and implement all court orders, provide a credible long-term security strategy for Lamu, and engage meaningfully with the people of Lamu,” Kassim said.

She said for decades, Lamu has suffered political and economic marginalisation, and the Dangote refinery should be a major turning point for the county and its residents.

Bradley Ouna, a rights defender and Concerned Citizens Kenya Executive Director, said security agents in Lamu must ensure residents and workers at the proposed refinery are not harassed during construction or subsequent operation.

“We do not want to envision a situation where the refinery is under construction and we as rights defenders are forced to go to court to halt progress,” Ouna said.

He said environmental concerns regarding Lamu must be seriously addressed before the refinery is set up, because Lamu is not just a county but a UN-designated heritage site.