President William Ruto has criticised Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna over his demand for the agreement between the Kenyan government and Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangote regarding the proposed Sh2.2 trillion refinery in Lamu County.
Speaking during his tour of Taita Taveta and Mombasa counties on Thursday, October 1, Ruto accused Sifuna of seeking the agreement for purposes of pressuring Dangote and claimed that former President Uhuru Kenyatta was behind the senator’s demand.
Ruto’s remarks came a day after the groundbreaking of the planned 700,000-barrel-per-day refinery, which is expected to serve Kenya and other markets in the region. Sifuna had questioned why Parliament had not been given access to the agreement and details of Kenya’s commitments to the project.
“Jana niliskia yule Mr Empty wa shiny things, eti alikuwa anauliza jana eti wapi agreement ya mambo ya Dangote. Sasa nikamuangalia yule jamaa, kwanza ametumwa…Mr Empty wa shiny things ametumwa na yule sponsor eti akuje kuulizia agreement ile ya mambo ya refinery. Mimi nataka nikuambie wewe Mr Empty, hiyo agreement kama unataka, unajua vile kuipata,” Ruto said.
The President said the agreement should be sought through Parliament and maintained that he would not allow the project to be undermined.
“Mimi nataka nikuambie wewe Mr Empty, hiyo agreement kama unataka, unajua vile kupata. Hiyo agreement inaulizwa kule Bunge ndiyo iletwe,” Ruto noted.
Ruto revisits Dangote cement project
Ruto also revisited Dangote’s earlier efforts to establish a cement factory in Kenya, alleging that the project was frustrated by demands for kickbacks and accusing Uhuru’s administration of being involved.
“Hiyo agreement mnataka ndiyo mfanyie huyo Dangote vile mlimfanyia siku hiyo ingine. Mimi nataka kuwaambia bwana, ile utapeli mlifanya ndiyo huyo Dangote akakosa kuwekeza Kenya kampuni ya simiti. Hamwezi kujaribu kwa hii ya refinery. Mimi niko hapo macho mbaya sana… You cannot,” he said.
The allegations are part of Ruto’s account of why Dangote’s earlier cement investment plans in Kenya did not materialise and were not independently established by the remarks themselves.
The President also accused Sifuna of allegedly demanding payments from governors appearing before the Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC).
“Wakienda Bunge huyo Mr Empty anawahangaisha, anawaambia leta pesa hii, tuhonge na hii, tuhonge na ile. What values does an extortionist like you, extorting from our Governors, extorting from devolution, and you dare tell us about values? Which values?” Ruto posed.
Sifuna’s earlier position, as reported by The Star, was that major development projects should comply with constitutional requirements and undergo appropriate parliamentary oversight. He said lawmakers had not seen the refinery agreement or details of the commitments Kenya had made towards the project.
Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Sherrif Nassir also weighed in, saying:
“Wale ambao watajaribu kumpeleka Dangote kortini, sisi tutakuwa enjoined kwa hiyo kesi kortini tuwaweke hao extortionists wote kando.”
The proposed refinery has attracted both government support and questions over issues including land ownership, compensation, public participation and the terms of the investment. A court has separately ordered the maintenance of the status quo over disputed land linked to the project.
The project is expected to have a processing capacity of 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day and is being positioned as a major regional petroleum-processing facility.
