NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 2 – The Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK) has petitioned the Public Private Partnerships Petition Committee to review Kenya’s planned participation in the proposed Dangote East Africa Oil Refinery and Petrochemical Complex in Lamu.

COFEK wants the committee to examine Kenya’s proposed equity stake, use of public land and government support arrangements associated with the project, arguing that key transaction and approval records have not been made available.

The consumer lobby is seeking documents on the project’s approval, procurement route, feasibility studies, financial risk assessments, public participation and any agreements committing public resources.

The petition also seeks details of Kenya’s proposed investment, including the valuation of its stake, funding source, payment schedule and rights attached to the public shareholding.

Public disclosures cited in the petition have put Kenya’s proposed stake at 10 percent, reportedly valued at about US$500 million.

COFEK says it has not been provided with the subscription agreement or valuation documents needed to verify the proposed investment.

The lobby has also raised questions over a reported Sh21.5 billion allocation as seed capital for the refinery, stressing that an allocation does not necessarily mean the money has already been committed or disbursed.

“I have not been furnished with the official records distinguishing the amount appropriated or allocated, the amount contractually committed and the amount actually disbursed for this project.”

“The reported Kes. 21.5 billion is not evidence within my knowledge that the money has already been paid.”

COFEK is further asking for details of the land proposed for the refinery within the LAPSSET Corridor, including ownership, tenure, valuation and the terms governing its use.

The petition cites reports of proceedings involving 133 residents over land in the Hindi/Manda Magogoni area and a status quo order reportedly issued by the Environment and Land Court at Malindi on September 25.

COFEK says the reported court order should not be treated as a final determination on the legality of land acquisition, but argues that the dispute should be considered when assessing the availability of the site and implementation risks.

The consumer lobby is similarly seeking information on any government support, including possible fuel offtake arrangements, market protection, electricity purchases, revenue guarantees or other commitments that could expose taxpayers or consumers to financial risks.

COFEK says the actual terms of such arrangements are necessary to determine the extent of public exposure, while noting that the reported capacity of the refinery alone does not establish consumer harm.

The developments come as President William Ruto has vowed to press ahead with the refinery project, dismissing what he describes as brokers with vested interests in its construction in Lamu.

Earlier, Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote downplayed the legal dispute surrounding the refinery, describing court challenges as a normal part of developing large projects in Africa.

Speaking at the Nairobi Securities Exchange during an investor engagement on the planned Initial Public Offering of Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Dangote said his group was prepared to deal with the dispute as it pushes ahead with the Kenyan project.

“I’m sure some of you must have seen one court have given an order that we shouldn’t do any construction. I said, no, no, this is normal for us, in Africa, you know, we don’t care,” Dangote said.

“Well, like, in fact, it’s even small. In Senegal, it’s not even, we went, they stopped even our factory for one year. We went out to the Supreme Court to get a judgment.”