The Dangote Group has said a Kenyan court order in a land dispute will not stop the groundbreaking ceremony for its proposed $16 billion refinery in Lamu on Wednesday.
The Malindi Environment and Land Court had ordered parties to maintain the status quo on the disputed land until October 14, when the case will be heard.
The order was dated September 25 but made public on Monday, according to Reuters.
In a statement on Tuesday, the group said: “The court has not halted the groundbreaking ceremony of the refinery at this stage.”
It, however, said activities at the project site could be affected because the parties had been ordered not to undertake activities on the disputed land pending the hearing.
Speaking to journalists, Dangote said his company had faced a similar legal challenge during the launch of one of its factories in Senegal.
He said the company pursued the matter through the courts up to the Supreme Court, which eventually delivered a judgment in its favour.
Dangote said the experience had made the group prepared to defend its interests through the legal process.
“Anyone who wants to cause trouble, we’re ready for them,” he said.
Justice Jane Onyango ordered that the status quo be maintained on the parcel, LR No. 13061, in the Hindi/Manda Magogoni area of Lamu County.
The court, however, declined the applicants’ request to stop the planned groundbreaking ceremony.
The order followed an application by 133 residents of Chandavai, who claim ancestral rights to the land earmarked for the refinery. They are challenging the project over alleged lack of compensation and resettlement.
The residents said the land had been occupied and cultivated by their families for generations, with homes, farms, mosques, shrines and graves located on the property.
They are seeking recognition of their interests in the land acquisition process, as well as compensation and resettlement.
The residents have also asked the court to stop further construction and other activities on the land pending the determination of the case.
President William Ruto is expected to attend the ceremony with Aliko Dangote.
The Kenyan government has backed the project, with Ruto saying during a visit to Dangote’s refinery in Lagos on Monday that his government was fully behind the plan.
The Lamu refinery, with a planned capacity of 700,000 barrels per day (bpd), is part of Dangote’s expansion across Africa.
