President William Ruto is in Lagos for a tour of billionaire Aliko Dangote’s mega oil refinery, days before Kenya’s proposed East Africa Refinery in Lamu is expected to break ground.


‎Ruto arrived at Murtala Muhammed International Airport Friday and was received by Dangote and other senior Nigerian officials.


‎The President is accompanied by First Lady Rachel Ruto and senior government officials.


‎His visit to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lekki comes five days before he is expected to lead the groundbreaking ceremony for the proposed East Africa Refinery in Lamu on September 30.


‎The planned Lamu facility, with a projected capacity of 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day, is expected to become a major component of Kenya’s strategy to expand refining capacity and strengthen petroleum supply in the region.


‎The Lagos visit comes after Ruto met Dangote and Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) chief executive Samaila Zubairu on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York earlier this week.


‎The discussions focused on financing and final preparations for the Lamu project.


‎“We are ready to break ground on the East Africa refinery in Lamu, a transformative project that will enhance the region’s energy security, deepen local value addition, create jobs and advance our industrialisation agenda,” Ruto said after the New York meeting.

•President William Ruto with First Lady Rachel and Aliko Dangote in Lagos on September 25, 2026.


‎The proposed refinery is expected to process crude from Kenya’s oilfields in Lokichar, Turkana County, and supply refined petroleum products to markets in East and Central Africa.


‎The project is being developed with Dangote’s involvement and support from the Africa Finance Corporation. Current reports have placed its investment value at between $15 billion and $17 billion, equivalent to roughly Sh2 trillion at prevailing exchange rates.


‎The September 30 groundbreaking is expected to bring together regional leaders and other key stakeholders, with preparations already under way in Lamu.


‎The Lagos refinery tour gives Ruto an opportunity to inspect Dangote’s existing refining operation before the Kenyan project moves into its construction phase.


‎Upon arrival at the refinery, Ruto was taken on a guided tour of the sprawling facility by Dangote and other senior company officials.


‎The tour covered key sections of the refinery and the adjoining petrochemicals complex, giving the President an overview of the plant’s operations, processing capacity and infrastructure. 


‎The officials also briefed him on the various stages of the refining process and the facility’s wider role in meeting the region’s energy and petrochemical needs.


‎The Dangote Petroleum Refinery, also located in Lagos, has a capacity of about 700,000 barrels per day and has become one of the continent’s largest refining facilities.


‎The project was initially earmarked for Tanzania before Dangote Group shifted the project to Kenya, citing infrastructure, logistics and market considerations.


‎From Lagos, Ruto is expected to return to Kenya and begin a weeklong working tour of the Coast region on Saturday.

•Alhaji Aliko Dangote

‎The tour will cover Taita-Taveta, Kwale, Kilifi, Mombasa, Tana River and Lamu counties and will focus on development projects, land reforms and new investments.


‎A major feature of the tour will be the issuance of nearly 200,000 title deeds to residents across the six counties, as the Government seeks to address longstanding land ownership challenges in the region.


‎Ruto will begin the Coast tour in Taita-Taveta, where 31,318 title deeds are scheduled to be issued to residents of Mwatate and Voi constituencies.


‎He will proceed to Kwale on Monday, where 94,175 title deeds are expected to be issued in Lunga Lunga, Msambweni and Kinango constituencies.


‎In Kilifi, 36,826 title deeds are lined up for beneficiaries in Kaloleni, Rabai, Ganze, Kilifi South and Malindi constituencies.


‎Mombasa is set to receive 4,360 title deeds, while a further 22,770 documents will be distributed in Lamu and Tana River.


‎The government says the documents will provide beneficiaries with formal ownership of their land and enable them to use the property for economic activities.


‎Ruto is also expected to commission completed projects, inspect ongoing works and launch new developments during the tour.

‎The Lamu refinery groundbreaking is expected to be the centrepiece of the visit, placing the Coast region at the centre of the Government’s energy and industrialisation agenda.


‎The project is also being presented as a potential driver of employment and regional trade, with the refinery expected to support petroleum supply chains serving markets beyond Kenya.