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Ruto responded to the senator’s demand for the agreement by saying lawmakers already have a procedure they can use to compel the presentation of government deals before Parliament.
The refinery is expected to generate 1,000 megawatts of electricity and produce one million tonnes of polypropylene, with the wider project covering areas such as energy, petrochemicals, logistics, engineering, manufacturing and marine services.
The facility will be built on land within the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) corridor and is planned to process crude from Kenya's Lokichar fields, other African producers and international sources. Its location next to Lamu Port is intended to allow the movement of crude and petroleum products by sea while supporting a wider logistics and industrial hub
The Treasury CS said reports that Kenya could be offered a stake in the refinery under a proposed regional participation arrangement should not be interpreted as evidence that Ruto personally has an interest in the investment.
"I'm rejecting their deal," the president told reporters at the White House on Saturday.
The refinery, a joint project between the Kenyan Government and Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote, is expected to process crude oil from Lokichar in Turkana County and supply refined petroleum products to markets across East and Central Africa.
Data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows that an average of 20.7 million barrels of crude oil, condensate, and petroleum products passed through the strait each day in 2024. That represented about 20% of global petroleum liquids consumption. In the first half of 2025, flows increased to an average of 20.9 million barrels per day
The President also called for stronger cooperation among countries, saying Africa should not be forced to choose between the East and the West as it pursues its development interests.
The projection, contained in the agency’s latest annual report, represents about 3.4 times the 377.1 GW of nuclear generating capacity recorded at the end of 2025.
The incident comes less than two weeks after Aramco shut down its 400,000-barrel-per-day Jazan refinery following an attack by Yemen’s Houthi militants
DP Kindiki said Kenya was working closely with East African Community (EAC) partner states to agree on the most suitable location for the refinery while undertaking the legal, regulatory and administrative preparations necessary for its implementation.
Acting ODM Secretary General questioned why institutions responsible for energy regulation do not give early signals on expected price movements, insisting that fuel pricing information should be handled in a transparent and predictable way rather than being released at the last minute.