Mbadi: Kenya willing to grow stake in the Dangote refinery

President William Ruto assured Kenyans that the ownership and operations of the Dangote East Africa Refinery will be open and transparent, with the government holding a stake in the project. The refinery, set to launch soon, will be listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange, allowing Kenyans to buy shares. President Ruto warned against individuals who make unreasonable demands and impose selfish conditions, stating that such actions risk driving away capital and slowing the country's economic transformation.

He emphasized that the government won't allow profiteers to derail the refinery project, describing it as an economic game-changer for Kenya and the wider region. President Ruto also addressed land ownership challenges in the Coast region, assuring Kenyans that the government has allocated Sh10 billion to resolve the land issue and will continue funding the program.

He deployed 300 Ministry of Lands officials to the Coast to accelerate the adjudication of land and meet the target of issuing 500,000 title deeds by December 2026. In Kilifi County, the president issued 36,000 title deeds to residents at Karisa Maitha Stadium, regretting that the Coast has waited too long for justice on land and development rights.

The president highlighted several infrastructure projects on the Coast, including the Mwache Dam in Kwale, which is nearing completion and expected to provide 186 million liters of water daily. He also pointed to investments in the blue economy, such as Sh15 billion allocated to the sector for fish landing sites and the increase in Kenya's deep-sea fishing capacity.