Fresh hurdle for Dangote Refinery launch as 133 residents sue to stop company

Some of the residents protest outside the Malindi Law Courts on September 28, 2026./CHARLES MGHENYI

A planned groundbreaking ceremony for billionaire Aliko Dangote’s Sh2 trillion oil refinery in Lamu on Wednesday faces uncertainty after 133 Chandavai residents filed a suit seeking to halt the project.

The residents, led by Suleiman Ali, Kanywa Kamunde and Zubera Hassan, moved to the Malindi Law Courts on Monday, arguing that the government unlawfully took over ancestral land they have occupied for generations without compensation or resettlement.

In their notice of motion, the plaintiffs insist they are not opposed to development but want their land rights recognised before the refinery proceeds.

They have sued the Office of the President, the Defence CS, the Lands Principal Secretary, the Attorney General, the National Land Commission, the LAPSSET Corridor Development Authority, the Lamu County Government, Dangote Industries Limited and two contractor firms.