Ruto Accuses Sifuna Over Dangote Lamu Refinery Deal

Kenya · POLITICS

President William Ruto has accused Senator Edwin Sifuna of extortion over the Dangote Lamu refinery agreement and linked former president Uhuru Kenyatta to the demand, a day after the project’s groundbreaking.

President William Ruto accused Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna on 1 October 2026 of seeking the Dangote refinery agreement on behalf of former president Uhuru Kenyatta, and called him an extortionist. Ruto spoke in Taita Taveta and Mombasa, one day after the groundbreaking of the refinery in Mokowe, Lamu County, a project reported at about US$16 billion (KSh2.2 trillion).

Ruto links Sifuna to Uhuru

Ruto said Sifuna had been sent by “the sponsor”, which Citizen Digital reads as a reference to Uhuru Kenyatta, to ask for the refinery agreement. He added that Sifuna knows the parliamentary procedure for approving such agreements and asked why he wanted this one.

Ruto also called Sifuna “Mr Empty”. A day earlier, Sifuna had questioned the lack of public scrutiny of the deal. He argued that Kenyans deserve to know the government’s commitments before the project proceeds.

Sifuna labelled an extortionist on the Coast

On 1 October 2026, speaking in Taita Taveta and then in Mombasa, Ruto called Sifuna an “extortionist”.

Ruto also said that Dangote’s earlier cement investment in Kenya was stopped by demands for kickbacks, and he accused Uhuru of belonging to the cartel that frustrated it. Dangote told Citizen Digital that his group explored a Kenyan cement plant, met kickback demands during the Uhuru years and walked away.

The Lamu refinery behind the dispute

The flashpoint is the Dangote East Africa refinery in Lamu, a project led by Aliko Dangote. Capital FM and Nation put its value at KSh2.2 trillion, about US$16 billion. Our earlier report on the Lamu refinery has the background.

At the groundbreaking in Mokowe on 30 September, Ruto told Dangote that nobody would extort anything from him, according to People Daily. Dangote has said he chose Lamu after talks with Ruto and Kenyan officials, having first considered Tanga port in Tanzania.

Sifuna’s question was why the agreement between Kenya and Dangote had not been put to public scrutiny. Ruto’s answer was to question his motives. Sifuna replied that disclosure is, in his words, “a Constitutional imperative not something left to the whims of one person”, citing Article 35 of the constitution, according to Citizen Digital. No reaction from Uhuru Kenyatta had been found at the time of writing.

Power, money and the 2027 election

The exchange is part of the build-up to Kenya’s 2027 general election. A project of this size gives both the government and its critics a simple story to tell: investment protected from brokers, or a deal that deserves more daylight.

Geopolitics and the Lamu corridor

Lamu is a strategic Kenyan port on the Indian Ocean coast. The project would give Kenya a large industrial anchor there, and Nigerian capital a foothold in East Africa.

The refinery fight fits the wider pattern covered in Africa: The New Scramble. External capital is increasingly shaping domestic political battles across the continent.

For investors, the question is whether the political row slows the project. That is not yet known. A land dispute is also pending: a Malindi Environment and Land Court order, issued on 25 September and made public on 28 September, requires the status quo on the Lamu site to be maintained. The case was brought by 133 Chandavai residents who say they were not adequately compensated, and the next hearing is on 14 October 2026. Dangote Group said the order did not stop the groundbreaking ceremony, according to Nairametrics. Kenya’s inflation rate of 6.8% in September and the market backdrop on 1 October frame the economic mood in which the debate is taking place. More on the country is in our Kenya hub.

What to watch next

The refinery agreement is likely to stay at the centre of the row as the 2027 campaign builds.

What it means for you: for foreign investors and residents on the coast, the signals to follow are the 14 October hearing, any response from Uhuru Kenyatta, and any decision to publish the Kenya-Dangote agreement.

Frequently asked questions

Why is Ruto attacking Sifuna and Uhuru Kenyatta now?

On 1 October 2026 Ruto said Sifuna, sent by Uhuru Kenyatta, was seeking the Dangote refinery agreement, a day after the project’s groundbreaking in Lamu.

What is the Dangote refinery dispute about?

Ruto says Sifuna sought the Dangote Lamu refinery agreement on Uhuru’s behalf and called him an extortionist. Sifuna had asked why the agreement was not open to public scrutiny.

How much is the Lamu refinery worth?

Citizen Digital reported about US$16 billion (KSh2.2 trillion). Outlets differ on the final figure.

Where is the refinery being built?

In Mokowe, Lamu County, on Kenya’s coast, where Ruto and Aliko Dangote held the groundbreaking on 30 September 2026.

Connected Coverage

• Africa: The New Scramble