A Kenyan tribunal has dismissed a petition filed by a consumer rights organisation challenging the proposed crude oil refinery project by Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, in the East African country.
According to a Reuters report, the case filed by the Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK) was among several legal challenges facing the proposed 700,000-barrel-per-day refinery at Lamu Port along Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast.
In its ruling dated October 30, the tribunal held that the petitioner failed to establish that the refinery was a public-private partnership project. It also found no legal basis for compelling the disclosure of documents relating to the development.
COFEK had asked the Public-Private Partnerships Petition Committee Tribunal to review and set aside any approvals granted for the project that did not meet relevant legal requirements.
The organisation also sought an order compelling the disclosure of details surrounding the Kenyan government’s proposed investment in the refinery, including the investment vehicle, share class, payment arrangements and evidence of public participation.
The development follows an August 21 statement by David Ndii, chairman of Kenya’s Presidential Council of Economic Advisers, that the Dangote Group had offered East African countries a 30 per cent equity stake in the proposed refinery.
The project had earlier faced a construction suspension following a court order issued in response to a petition by some local residents opposing the development.
However, on October 14, the court lifted the suspension, clearing the way for construction work to proceed at the Lamu site.
