Oil Tycoon Dangote Adds Another Kenyan Town For East Africa Refineries
The list of potential locations for tycoon Aliko Dangote’s projected East African refinery has grown to include Lamu, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The town joins Mombasa as another area in Kenya being considered for the refinery, reducing the alternatives to a 370-kilometre stretch along the Indian Ocean coastline.
The increase comes amid increasing competition in the region to host what might become East Africa’s largest oil refinery, a replica of Dangote’s 650,000-barrel-per-day complex in Lagos, Nigeria.
Dangote has been meeting with East African politicians to discuss the refinery, and regional governments have pledged support for the proposed project.
The battle to host East Africa’s largest oil refinery is quietly becoming one of the region’s biggest geopolitical and economic contests.
— Geno Insights | Analysis (@GenoInsightsKe) May 20, 2026
Now, Lamu has officially entered the conversation.
Aliko Dangote is reportedly considering both Mombasa and Lamu as potential Kenyan sites… pic.twitter.com/ODz2EJyVdM
When the project was announced in April, Tanga in Tanzania was the initially proposed site.
However, in a May 10 interview, Dangote said he is leaning towards Mombasa because of its larger port and deeper shipping access.
He also noted that Kenya consumes more refined products than Tanzania, giving the country a commercial advantage.
Following reports of his preference for Mombasa, Dangote met with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu on May 16 in Dar es Salaam.
The Billionaire reaffirmed his role as a key investor in the country regardless of the refinery’s location.
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Meanwhile, Uganda continues with plans for its own refinery in Hoima, a 60,000-barrel-per-day plant that has been under development for over a decade.
Despite his preference, Dangote said the final decision on where the refinery would be established in Kenya rests with President William Ruto.
The billionaire is expected to fund the majority of the project, which is estimated to cost between Ksh1.95 trillion and Ksh2.21 trillion.
"The biggest ever."
— Emeka Ajene ✍🏽 (@eajene) May 14, 2026
That's @AlikoDangote, Africa's richest man and industrialist-in-chief, describing the moment he decided to build the Dangote refinery — the world's largest single-train oil refinery — in a conversation with @NicolaiTang1, CEO of Norges Bank Investment… pic.twitter.com/V38NKzUo0l
The project will serve regional markets including Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Dangote’s plans to expand his refining operations into East Africa aim to boost fuel security on the continent amid rising concerns over reliance on imported petroleum products.
Oil Tycoon Dangote Adds Another Kenyan Town For East Africa Refineries
