The Dangote East Africa Refinery project has moved closer to construction after a vessel carrying nearly 3,000 metric tonnes of heavy machinery arrived at the Port of Lamu ahead of next week’s groundbreaking ceremony.
MV Da Yang docked at the port on Saturday carrying 2,930 metric tonnes of heavy construction machinery to be used in the development of the Sh2.2 trillion refinery.
The arrival marks a major step in preparations for the project, which is expected to become the largest refinery in East Africa and expand the region’s capacity to process crude oil.
Kenya Ports Authority Chief Executive Officer Captain William Ruto welcomed the vessel and oversaw its successful docking before presenting a certificate of first call and a plaque to the vessel’s master, Captain Wang Shengli.
Captain Ruto said the arrival of the machinery demonstrated the Government’s commitment to ensuring the refinery project succeeds.
“The arrival of this vessel is very critical and shows the Government’s commitment to ensuring this project succeeds. It will be a game changer for the entire region,” said Captain Ruto.
The planned Dangote East Africa Refinery is a $17 billion, or about Sh2.2 trillion, investment backed by Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote and the Africa Finance Corporation.
The refinery and petrochemical complex will have a processing capacity of 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day and will be built on land set aside for the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport corridor, commonly known as LAPSSET.
The facility is expected to process crude oil from Lokichar in Turkana County, as well as supplies from other parts of East and southern Africa and beyond.
Its refined petroleum products are expected to serve markets across the region, while the wider complex will support related industries such as fertiliser manufacturing, chemicals and packaging.
Dangote has set September 30, 2026, for the groundbreaking ceremony, with President William Ruto expected to attend alongside Dangote.
The preparations come days after President Ruto toured Dangote’s 700,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Lekki, Lagos, on Friday, September 25, following an invitation from the Nigerian businessman.
The visit provided the President with an opportunity to see the operations of the industrial complex, which is being used as a model for the planned development in Lamu.
The Port of Lamu is expected to play a key role in the refinery project by handling construction materials, marine operations and petroleum tankers once the facility becomes operational.
The project is also expected to increase cargo volumes at the port and strengthen its role as a regional logistics hub.
Captain Ruto assured shipping partners and customers that the Port of Lamu is prepared to handle both current and future cargo volumes linked to the development.
He said KPA would continue focusing on efficient vessel turnaround, seamless cargo handling and customer-focused services in line with international standards.
The arrival of MV Da Yang comes as preparations intensify for the September 30 groundbreaking, which is expected to formally mark the start of construction of the refinery.
The proposed Lamu oil refinery could generate enough electricity to produce 1,000 megawatts, with billionaire Aliko Dangote saying Kenya's government may receive half of the power.
Dangote said the electricity project will be a major part of the Kenyan investment, with the plant expected to generate about 1,000MW from petroleum coke, also known as petcoke.
He said 500MW of the output could be sold to the Kenyan government.
“What we are going to have, the power plant in Lamu will be actually double (the one in Nigeria) because we are going to produce about 1000 megawatts in Lamu out of petcoke and we'll have 500 megawatts to sell to the government of Kenya,” he said.