Kenya is set to break ground on the East Africa Oil Refinery in Lamu on September 30, 2026, in a move expected to usher in one of the country’s largest industrial investments.
The Sh2.2 trillion project is projected to take four years to complete and is expected to create more than 60,000 jobs, with about half of the positions expected to go to skilled workers.
Deputy President Prof. Kithure Kindiki chaired a high-level inter-ministerial and inter-agency meeting to coordinate preparations for the groundbreaking ceremony.
The refinery is expected to play a major role in expanding Kenya’s petrochemical industry while boosting economic activity in the coastal region.
The project is also projected to support the expansion of the Port of Lamu and enhance the trade and logistics potential of the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor.
Government officials are positioning the investment as a transformative project that could strengthen Kenya’s energy and industrial sectors while creating new opportunities across the wider economy.
The groundbreaking will mark the formal start of a project expected to have significant implications for Lamu and Kenya’s long-term industrialisation plans.
Already speculators are rushing to the area to grab parcels of land in anticipation of making money.
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