Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has made five demands to the Senate Energy Committee regarding the proposed Dangote oil refinery project in Lamu County.
In a statement dated Friday, October 2, Sifuna called for comprehensive information about the project to be made public before construction begins.
He said the project, which is being presented as a major government undertaking, should comply with the constitutional principles set out under Article 10, including transparency and public participation.
Sifuna urged the Senate committee to obtain and make public all documents and records relating to the refinery, as provided for under Article 35(3) of the Constitution.
He further asked the committee to disclose details of the public participation process conducted before the project was approved, including concerns raised by communities that could be affected by the development.
The senator also sought disclosure of the project’s financing and implementation arrangements, including the amount of public funds or taxpayers’ money expected to be committed to the project.
In addition, Sifuna wants the committee to provide a value-for-money assessment of any investment made by the government on behalf of Kenyan taxpayers.
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He also called for the identification and disclosure of the beneficial owners of the overall project and the companies involved in its implementation.
Sifuna’s demands come amid a public disagreement between him and President William Ruto over the proposed refinery and the agreement between the Kenyan government and the Dangote Group.
On Thursday, October 1, Ruto told Sifuna that parliamentary procedures were available for obtaining the agreement.
The President also alleged that Sifuna was acting at the behest of a sponsor in seeking details of the Lamu refinery agreement. Ruto further claimed that there were attempts to create an avenue to pressure investor Aliko Dangote, drawing a comparison with an earlier dispute surrounding Dangote’s plans to establish a cement factory in Kenya.
Sifuna has maintained his call for greater disclosure of the project’s financial, environmental, ownership and public participation details.
