Anybody Who Wants To Cause Trouble, We’re Ready — Dangote On Court Order Halting Kenya Refinery

President and Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, has described a Kenyan court order temporarily halting activities at the proposed Dangote refinery in Lamu as “normal for us in Africa,” insisting that his group is prepared to confront anyone seeking to frustrate the project.

Dangote made the remark while reacting to reports that the Malindi Environment and Land Court in Kenya had ordered that the status quo be maintained at the proposed refinery site pending further hearing of a case brought by some farmers and residents of Chandavai in Lamu County.

Speaking on the development, Dangote said he was not surprised by the court action, recalling similar challenges encountered by his group in other African countries.

“Yesterday as I was landing here at night, you know, because I always try to switch off my Wi-Fi on my plane, you know, so that I’ll be able to rest. I don’t want to be disturbed. But immediately when I opened my phone, they said, oh yeah, you know, by Bloomberg.

“I’m sure some of you must have seen it. One court has given an order that we shouldn’t do any construction. I said, no, no, this is normal for us in Africa, you know.

“We don’t care. We don’t care. In fact, this is even small.

“In Senegal, it’s not even court. We went, they stopped even our factory for one year. We went up to the Supreme Court to get a judgement.

“So anybody who wants to cause trouble, we are ready for them.”

The Dangote Group chairman further expressed confidence that the company was aware of those behind what he described as attempts to frustrate its investments.

“No, no, brother, don’t worry. We know who are the people doing all these things, so we’ll face them,” he said.

The Malindi Environment and Land Court had directed that construction activities connected to the proposed Dangote refinery in Lamu County be placed on hold pending further proceedings.

The order followed a petition by farmers and residents of Chandavai, who alleged that the development of the refinery involved the “forceful eviction” of residents and the destruction of their properties.

According to a Bloomberg report, Justice Jane Onyango ordered that the “status quo prevailing” at the site be maintained. The order was issued on September 25 and made public on Monday.

The court is expected to give further directions on the matter on October 14.

George Wakahiu, a lawyer representing the petitioners, told Bloomberg that the order means construction of the project should not commence until the court reconvenes on October 14.

The petitioners alleged that the proposed refinery project would result in the “forceful eviction of the plaintiffs from their lands, damage and destruction of their properties and yet there is no resettlement plan for them.”

They also argued that Dangote and the Kenyan authorities had yet to comply with the country’s environmental requirements, including a mandatory environmental impact assessment before the implementation of a major project.

The petitioners further claimed that the project did not comply with Kenya’s constitutional requirement for public participation.

However, Dangote Group, in a statement reported by Reuters on Tuesday, clarified that the court had not specifically stopped the planned groundbreaking ceremony for the refinery.

“The court has not halted the groundbreaking ceremony of the refinery at this stage. However, activities at the site may be affected by the ruling, as both parties are required not to carry out activities until the case is heard on 14th October,” the company said.

The proposed refinery is planned as a 700,000-barrel-per-day facility in Lamu County, Kenya.

Kenyan President William Ruto had earlier said his administration was fast-tracking the administrative processes required for the project.

Ruto made the disclosure on Friday during a tour of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lekki, Lagos, ahead of the planned September 30 groundbreaking ceremony for the Kenyan facility.

The Kenyan president said the government had already secured the land for the project and was working to address other requirements to eliminate bureaucratic delays and facilitate the construction and eventual operation of the refinery.

He described the proposed facility as a regional project that would boost industrial activity in East Africa, create jobs and strengthen technical skills across the region.

Dangote had also said the proposed Kenyan refinery would be larger than his existing 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Lagos.