Fresh Details Emerge From Ruto-Museveni Oil Refinery Plans With Dangote
President William Ruto has revealed fresh details of a proposed multi-billion-dollar oil refinery project in East Africa, after Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangote said he planned to build the facility in Tanzania.
Speaking during the Kenya Mining Investment Conference and Expo in Nairobi on Tuesday, April 28, Ruto revealed that, together with his counterparts from Uganda and Tanzania, he has already agreed on a single large refinery.
The Head of State further added that Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and South Sudan are exploring a coordinated approach to refine oil within the region rather than exporting crude oil for processing abroad.
“We have made the decision that we are going to do this together,” he stated.
“We are going to harness the synergies of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and South Sudan, possibly working together, so that we can have one big refinery here.”
President Ruto on the decision to have an oil refinery in East Africa: We are going to harness the synergies of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and possibly South Sudan so that we can have one big refinery here. The oil resources we have in this part of the East African region cannot… pic.twitter.com/I8jHnclsYt
— The Eastleigh Voice (@Eastleighvoice) April 28, 2026
“In our region, we are thinking of how all the assets that we have, whether it is the oil that we have, we must use them to industrialise our countries. We cannot continue to export or to be exporters of raw materials,” the president added.
Ruto emphasised that the region must stop the export of raw materials and instead focus on local processing to create jobs and stimulate economic growth.
Ruto added that East Africa also has significant opportunities in mining and renewable energy, which should be integrated into a wider industrialisation strategy.
His revelations come days after Aliko Dangote announced plans to build an oil refinery in the Tanga area of Tanzania, calling on President Ruto and President Yoweri Museveni to support his vision to set it up.
AFRICA’s richest man is doubling down on refining power
— Fact Zone Africa (@FactsZoneAfrica) April 26, 2026
Aliko Dangote has committed to building a SECOND mega refinery in East Africa after talks with William Ruto and Yoweri Museveni.
“We’re going to have a joint refinery in Tanga… taking oil from DR Congo 🇨🇩, Kenya 🇰🇪, South… pic.twitter.com/6vt1dBvtfI
“I can give commitment to the two presidents who were here. If they will support the refinery, we’ll build an identical one to the one we have in Nigeria,” Dangote said during the Africa We Build Summit 2026 in Nairobi on April 23.
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Dangote’s announcement, however, was made almost immediately after Museveni revealed Uganda was planning to build a refinery in Hoima city, with Ruto promising that Kenya would invest up to Ksh500 billion.
Following Dangote’s announcement and Ruto’s commitment, the media reported that Dangote’s plan would bypass Uganda’s dream of building its own refinery, with some publications describing it as a “Uganda headache.”
Ruto used the opportunity to criticise the reports, which he noted are a negative framing of the cooperation project.
“There was no headache, for heaven’s sake. There was no headache. How does three countries coming together to build one piece of infrastructure amount to a headache?” he posed.
The announcement comes at a time when oil drilling has already begun in Turkana after the discovery of over 560 million barrels of oil reserves.
Fresh Details Emerge From Ruto-Museveni Oil Refinery Plans With Dangote
