President William Ruto says Kenya will move ahead with plans to build a major regional oil refinery alongside Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote despite mounting resistance from fuel import interests that currently dominate East Africa’s petroleum market.
Speaking during the Annual National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, Ruto revealed that Dangote had already warned him about opposition from companies benefiting from fuel imports into the region.
However, the Kenyan leader insisted that long-term economic transformation matters more than protecting existing supply chains.
“I had a chat with Dangote yesterday, and he was telling me how much resistance has been built by the people we are buying fuel from now because they want to continue buying their fuel,” Ruto said.
Even so, the president maintained that Kenya and its regional partners would continue pushing forward with the refinery initiative because it could strengthen Africa’s energy independence and reduce reliance on imported petroleum products.
“But we have to make those decisions that will change our country, that will transform our country,” Ruto added.
The proposed refinery marks one of the most ambitious industrial projects discussed in East Africa in recent years.
According to Ruto, construction could begin this year as governments in the region intensify talks around energy security, local refining capacity and long-term fuel stability.
In addition, Ruto disclosed that his administration sent a technical team across Africa six months ago to study refinery models and industrial energy infrastructure.
That mission eventually connected Kenyan officials with Dangote’s flagship refinery project in Nigeria, which has already become one of Africa’s largest industrial developments.
“When I sent my team about six months ago to look around, they came across Aliko Dangote and what he is doing.
They came back to me and I reached out to President Museveni,” Ruto said.
Ruto added that regional leaders, including Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, had already agreed to support discussions surrounding the refinery plan.
The project gained momentum after Dangote publicly offered to replicate his Lagos refinery in East Africa during the Africa We Build Summit held in Nairobi earlier this year.
The Nigerian billionaire pledged to construct a refinery capable of processing 650,000 barrels of oil per day if governments in the region backed the initiative.
“Even now, I can give commitment to the two presidents who are here; if they will support the refinery, we will build an identical one to the one we have in Nigeria, 650,000 barrels per day,” Dangote said during the summit attended by Ruto and Museveni.
Dangote also stated that the refinery could be completed within four to five years, potentially reshaping fuel supply chains across East and Central Africa.
At the same time, the billionaire industrialist criticized Africa’s dependence on imported finished products despite the continent’s massive natural resource base.
He argued that exporting raw materials while importing refined goods continues to drain jobs, wealth and industrial growth opportunities from African economies.
“We are a continent of imports. We export raw materials, which means we export jobs, and when we import, we import poverty,” Dangote said.
His Lagos refinery currently processes 650,000 barrels per day and ranks among the world’s largest refining facilities.
Analysts believe a similar project in East Africa could lower regional fuel import costs, improve supply stability and accelerate industrialization efforts across neighboring economies.
Ruto strongly backed Dangote’s industrial vision during the Nairobi summit.
He argued that Africa must stop exporting raw commodities only to buy back expensive refined products from overseas markets.
The proposed refinery is now expected to trigger deeper regional negotiations involving Kenya, Uganda and other East African nations seeking long-term fuel security and stronger local manufacturing capacity.
As Africa pushes for economic self-reliance, the Kenya-Dangote refinery proposal could become one of the continent’s defining industrial projects of the decade.
