Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna speaks at the Senate on September 30, 2026/ SCREENGRABNairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has challenged Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote over his warning to people seeking to cause trouble over the proposed Lamu oil refinery.
He said investors cannot speak to Kenyans the way he did when they raise concerns about projects in their country.
Sifuna said the government and investors must explain the refinery project and its commitments to the public, particularly as residents of Lamu pursue a court case over the development.
“I have heard him say that really, even if you have problems with the project, he will deal with you. You cannot speak to us like that if you want to invest in our country. We have values, Honorable Speaker,” Sifuna said.
He spoke in the Senate on Wednesday, as the groundbreaking ceremony for the Sh2 trillion refinery was taking place in Lamu.
Dangote had warned during the ceremony that he was prepared to confront anyone seeking to obstruct the project, saying he was not afraid of legal challenges.
“Like what I said, we are not really scared about people taking us to court. Anybody who wants to cause trouble, we are ready for his trouble and will give him a headache,” Dangote said.
Sifuna said Parliament had not been given details of the agreement for the refinery or the commitments Kenya had made to facilitate the investment.
“We are members of parliament here, and I can assure you, Speaker, none of us has seen the agreement on that refinery. None of us knows the commitments that this country has given in order for that refinery to be built,” he said.
He also raised the concerns of Lamu residents who, he said, had gone to court and were seeking support from their leaders.
“Our own people down there in Lamu are actually in court, honourable Speaker, and they are crying out for us to be able to help them as a people,” Sifuna said.
He argued that support for development should not come at the expense of constitutional values or public concerns about how projects are implemented.
“Nobody is against development, but again, it must be within the confines of the values of our constitution,” he said.
Sifuna referred to Article 10 of the constitution, which sets out national values and principles of governance, saying leaders must observe them when considering major projects.
He questioned why the government could not explain the refinery and its implications to the people affected.
“There is nothing wrong with explaining things to our people. Why do we treat our people so badly, Honorable Speaker, that we can't explain to them what this thing is about?” he said.
His remarks came as Dangote defended the scale of the proposed refinery and the challenges facing its development, while Ruto assured investors at the ceremony that the government would not allow brokers, blackmailers or extortionists to interfere with investments.
