A Kenyan High Court has ordered construction to be paused on Aliko Dangote’s $16 billion oil refinery in the East African nation, after a group of locals filed a case opposing the project
Aliko Dangote, the richest man in Africa, faces a fresh setback ahead of the opening of a Ksh.2 trillion oil refinery project in Lamu.
While preparations for a September 30 groundbreaking ceremony are ongoing, more than 130 residents of Chandavai in Lamu County have moved to court seeking to stop what they describe as the unlawful takeover and destruction of land their families have occupied and cultivated for generations.
The residents contend that the development by the Nigerian billionaire threatens to displace them without a resettlement plan or compensation.
The 133 plaintiffs have sued the Office of the President, the Cabinet Secretary for Defence, the State Department for Lands and Physical Planning, the Attorney General, the National Land Commission (NLC), the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor Development Authority, the Lamu County Government and Dangote Industries, together with two companies described as contractors.
The residents claim they have, for generations, occupied, cultivated and developed identifiable portions of land comprised in or forming part of LR No. 13061 in Chandavai.
They have asked the court to intervene, arguing that continued construction and excavation would cause further destruction of crops, trees, homes and other property and permanently alter the character of the disputed land.
“Continued construction or excavation will cause further destruction of crops, trees, structures and other property and will materially alter the physical character of the land, thereby making the dispute substantially more difficult to resolve,” the plaintiffs state in court documents.
The residents say their claim is based on long-standing occupation, customary or community tenure, possession and beneficial use of the land, although they do not hold formal title deeds.
