Sifuna Issues 5 Demands to Senate Energy Committee Over Dangote Refinery

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has issued five demands to the Senate Committee on Energy over the construction of the Dangote oil refinery in Lamu County.

In a statement dated Friday, October 2, Sifuna said the details of the refinery should be made available to the public before the project begins. 

He argued that the law requires public projects to conform with the values under Article 10 of the Constitution. 

“Touted as one of the biggest projects under the current administration, it is imperative that details of the refinery in Lamu, including financial models, impact on community, level of investment by government, public participation and environmental impact, be made available to the nation before the project can commence,” read the request in part. 

Senator Sifuna demanded that the committee should require the production of all records relating to the Dangote refinery project. 

“In the statement, the Committee should require production of all records pertaining to the Dangote refinery project in Malindi as required under Article 35 (3) of the Constitution of Kenya,” he stated. 

The Nairobi Senator also demanded that the committee provide details of the public participation undertaken before approval of the project, including concerns raised by affected communities and disclosure of the project’s financing and implementation model, including the amount of taxpayers’ money that will be allocated to the project. 

Further, Sifuna demanded that the Senate Energy Committee show a value-for-money analysis of any investment made in the project on behalf of Kenyan taxpayers. 

Additionally, he demanded a list of all beneficial owners of the overall project and firms involved in implementation.

This comes amid an ongoing war of words between President William Ruto and Sifuna over the Dangote refinery project agreement.

On Thursday, October 1, President Ruto challenged Sifuna to use parliamentary procedures to request the agreement.

"If you want the agreement, you know the procedure to ask for it through Parliament,” said Ruto. 

The Head of State also sensationally claimed that Sifuna had been sent by his 'sponsor' to demand the Dangote Lamu Refinery contract agreement.

"I heard Mr Empty, one of 'Shiny things', asking about the agreements between the government and the Dangote Group on the Lamu Refinery. I looked at him and realized that first, he has been sent by the sponsor," Ruto stated

The President claimed that they wanted to find a way in so that they could extort the investor, Aliko Dangote, just as they did when he wanted to set up a cement factory in the country.