Kenyan parliamentary leaders have thrown their weight behind the Dangote East Africa Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals project in Lamu and pledged support for the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals initial public offering (IPO), a release by the Dangote Group disclosed on Monday.
According to the release signed by Mr. Anthony Chiejina, Head of Corporate Communications, the pledge was made by the Majority Leader of Kenya’s National Assembly, Kimani Ichung’wah, while leading a parliamentary delegation on a visit to the Dangote industrial complex in Lagos.
The endorsement follows political criticism of the proposed Kenyan refinery and comes as the closing date for Dangote’s IPO has been extended from October 13 to October 27, 2026.
Kenyan Lawmakers back Dangote investment:
Ichung’wah said the delegation’s visit was intended to reaffirm support for Dangote Group’s investments in Kenya and the wider East African region. The lawmakers toured the 700,000-barrel-per-day Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Dangote Fertiliser Limited and supporting infrastructure in Lagos.
The delegation included representatives of both the majority and minority leadership, lawmakers from Turkana, Kenya’s oil-producing region, representatives of Lamu County and members of the National Assembly’s Energy Committee.
- “We are here to restate our support for the Dangote Group and their investment in Kenya, in the East African region, and also to support the IPO,” Ichung’wah said.
The visit comes after Kenyan President William Ruto and Aliko Dangote broke ground on the Lamu refinery project on September 30, 2026.
At the ceremony, Ruto disclosed that the Kenyan government intended to invest in the refinery through the National Infrastructure Fund, alongside contributions involving state assets such as land.
The parliamentary delegation’s endorsement adds to the government’s stated commitment to the project, although the details and timing of the proposed state investment remain separate from the lawmakers’ pledge.
Lamu Refinery faces political opposition:
The parliamentary visit follows criticism of the refinery project by Kenyan political figures opposed to President William Ruto. Days after the groundbreaking ceremony, presidential candidate Patrick Osoi warned Dangote against rushing construction and threatened to force him out of Kenya if he became president in February 2027.
Osoi argued that Kenyan businesspeople could develop the refinery instead, although he did not explain how a project financed and developed solely by Kenyan investors would be delivered.
Addressing concerns about the project’s future under a possible change of government, Ichung’wah argued that its economic and regional importance extended beyond any administration.
- “This is a project that transcends any administration,” Ichung’wah said.
- “It is a project that is going to be impactful, not just to Kenya but to the region.”
Ichung’wah pointed to the presence of regional leaders at the Lamu groundbreaking as evidence of the project’s strategic importance and its potential to deepen regional integration.
He also recalled Dangote’s engagement with the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), during which the industrialist invited Kenyan and other East African investors to participate in the public offer.
The delegation’s position signals support from the parliamentary leaders who attended the visit, despite the political criticism surrounding the refinery project.
Dangote IPO extended to October 27:
The endorsement coincides with the extension of the Dangote’s public offer closing date, which the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved. The offer covers 4.1 billion ordinary shares at N525 per share, valued at about N2.15 trillion.
The application period, which opened on September 14, will now close on October 27 instead of October 13.
- Aliko Dangote said subscriptions had already exceeded the original fundraising target. “We have done much more than three, four times that amount already. So, it’s not about the amount. It’s about the number of people that want to participate in this offer,” he said.
He added that talks with the Exchange had helped the Group identify a framework for wider investor participation, which it hopes to replicate in other African capital markets. David Bird, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals, said the extra time would help bring more investors across Africa into the offer.