Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has taken his push for the disclosure of the agreement between the Kenyan government and Dangote Group over the proposed Lamu oil refinery to the Senate, hours after President William Ruto challenged him to use Parliament to obtain the document.
Sifuna posted on X, “Hio agreement kama unataka unajua vile inaulizwa kule bunge,” meaning that if the agreement is wanted, there is a procedure for seeking it through Parliament. He attached a formal request for a statement from the Senate Standing Committee on Energy.
The request, dated October 2, asks the committee to produce all records relating to the Dangote refinery project, citing Article 35(3) of the Constitution on the State’s obligation to publish and publicise information of significance to Kenyans.
Sifuna is also seeking details of the public participation conducted before approval of the project, including concerns raised by affected communities.
The senator wants the committee to disclose the project’s financing and implementation model, including how much Kenyan taxpayers will contribute and the source of the funds.
He is further demanding a value-for-money analysis for any public investment in the project and a list of all beneficial owners of the overall project and firms involved in its implementation.
Sifuna’s move comes amid an escalating exchange with President Ruto over the refinery agreement. Ruto had accused the senator of seeking the document with ulterior motives and told him that the agreement should be obtained through Parliament.
In his Senate request, Sifuna argues that major infrastructure projects and foreign investments must comply with constitutional requirements on transparency, accountability, public participation, environmental sustainability and public finance management.
