Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote has fired back at opponents of his proposed $16 billion refinery in Kenya, declaring that his company is ready to defend the project through the legal process.
The strong response came as a Kenyan court ordered parties in a land dispute involving the project to maintain the status quo pending a hearing on October 14.
Despite the legal challenge, Dangote Group said the court order would not stop the groundbreaking ceremony for the 700,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Lamu.
However, the company acknowledged that some activities at the project site could be affected by the order, which bars parties from carrying out activities on the disputed land pending the hearing.
Speaking to journalists in Kenya, Dangote recalled a similar legal battle involving one of his factories in Senegal.
He said the company pursued that case through the courts up to the Supreme Court, which eventually ruled in its favour.
Dangote said the experience had prepared his group to deal with legal challenges surrounding its projects.
“Anyone who wants to cause trouble, we’re ready for them,” he said.
The latest dispute was brought by 133 residents of Chandavai, who claim ancestral rights to the land earmarked for the refinery.
The residents allege that their families have occupied and cultivated the land for generations, with homes, farms, mosques, shrines and graves located on the property.
They are seeking recognition of their interests in the land acquisition process, as well as compensation and resettlement.
The residents have also asked the court to halt construction and other activities on the land pending determination of their case.
Justice Jane Onyango ordered that the existing situation on the disputed parcel be maintained until the October 14 hearing.
The court, however, did not prevent the planned groundbreaking ceremony from going ahead.
President William Ruto is expected to join Dangote for the ceremony as Kenya pushes ahead with the ambitious project.
Ruto has publicly backed the refinery, saying his government is fully behind Dangote’s expansion plans in East Africa.
The Lamu refinery is planned to process 700,000 barrels of crude oil daily and is expected to be completed by 2030.
Dangote has said the project is aimed at reducing East Africa’s dependence on imported refined petroleum products, while creating major opportunities for industrial development and jobs in the region.
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