Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka has challenged the government to ensure the Sh2.2 trillion Dangote refinery in Lamu works for the wider Kenyan public, saying support for foreign investors should not come at the expense of proper procedures.
Kalonzo said the Opposition supports foreign direct investment but would continue to question major projects where it believes due process must be followed and the public interest protected.
He spoke on Wednesday, September 30, after visiting abducted activist Collins Odhiambo at Life Care Hospital.
His comments followed the groundbreaking of the Dangote East Africa Petroleum Refinery in Lamu, an event attended by President William Ruto and other leaders and dignitaries.
“Some claim that we in the Opposition oppose everything, even foreign investment in Kenya. That is not true. We welcome investment. What we demand is due process. We will not support deals that enrich a few individuals. Kenyans must be the ones to benefit,” Kalonzo said.
The Wiper leader said the Opposition's position on major investments should not be mistaken for hostility towards foreign capital.
He said Kenyans have a right to examine major agreements and projects to establish whether they are being implemented transparently and whether the country will receive the expected benefits.
Kalonzo also pointed to the wider significance of developments in Lamu, recalling his involvement in the early plans for the LAPSSET project alongside former President Mwai Kibaki and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
“It was President Kibaki and me and Raila at the time who started the Lapsset project in Lamu. We welcome foreign-direct investment but let this not be confused with what Bwana Ruto is saying some of us are against this or the other. We just want to get due process,” he said.
He said Lamu Port and LAPSSET were part of the Vision 2030 plans developed during the Kibaki administration, when Raila served as Prime Minister.
“President Mwai Kibaki, Prime Minister Raila Odinga and I were part of the leadership that developed Vision 2030, in which LAPSSET and Lamu Port became flagship projects. Lamu Port has immense potential, and we remain committed to the vision we had for it,” Kalonzo said.
Kalonzo said his concerns centred on how such projects are structured and the people who eventually benefit from them.
He maintained that the Opposition has a responsibility to scrutinise government deals and cited its opposition to agreements involving the Adani Group as part of that oversight role.
“When we objected to Adani deals, bwana Ruto was forced to withdraw that alleged privatisation of JKIA and also Ketraco,” he said.
His remarks came as Ruto and other government supporters rallied behind the Lamu refinery project. The President warned individuals he accused of attempting to frustrate the investment.
ODM leader Oburu Oginga, whose party is part of the broad-based government, also expressed support for the refinery and urged residents of Lamu and the Coast region to reject efforts to derail the project.
Kalonzo said, “It's the moment for Africa” but maintained that the push for investment must be matched by proper scrutiny of its implementation and the benefits it brings to citizens.
The refinery is planned to have a processing capacity of 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day and is expected to support industrial and infrastructure development around Lamu Port and the wider LAPSSET corridor.
Nigerian investor Aliko Dangote, whose company is developing the project, said the refinery would take 40 months to complete.