A court in Kilifi has declined to issue orders stopping the planned groundbreaking of a proposed Sh2 trillion oil refinery project in Lamu County.
Environment and Land Court Judge Jane Onyango said the application seeking to stop the planned development had been placed before the court ahead of the scheduled groundbreaking on Wednesday.
The judge directed the respondents to file their responses within 14 days and set October 14, 2026, as the date for the inter partes hearing.
However, the court issued an interim order requiring the status quo on L.R No. 13061, located in the Hindi/Manda Magogoni area of Lamu County, to be maintained until October 14.
The applicants had specifically sought orders stopping the groundbreaking and development of the project, but the court did not grant that request.
The case has been filed by 133 residents of Chandavai in Lamu County, who are challenging the proposed refinery project associated with Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote.
The residents claim their families have occupied and cultivated the land for generations and argue that the proposed development could lead to displacement without an adequate resettlement plan or compensation.
The plaintiffs have sued several government agencies and institutions, including the Office of the President, the Cabinet Secretary for Defence, the State Department for Lands and Physical Planning, the Attorney General, the National Land Commission (NLC), the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor Development Authority and the Lamu County Government.
Dangote Industries and two companies described as contractors have also been named as respondents.
The court battle is expected to continue as the parties prepare their responses ahead of the October 14 hearing, when the applicants’ case will be considered alongside responses from the respondents.
The proposed refinery has emerged as a major development project in Lamu, while the residents’ legal challenge has placed land ownership, compensation and resettlement concerns at the centre of the dispute.
