Lamu Locals Protest Over Compensation Ahead of Dangote Refinery Groundbreaking

Protests erupted in Lamu as residents opposed the Dangote East Africa Oil Refinery project, demanding compensation and assurances ahead of the groundbreaking scheduled for September 30, 2026. Police deployed tear gas and reportedly fired shots into the air to disperse protesters, with one individual, Benson Kukuyama, arrested. The protests follow a Malindi court decision that declined to halt the project and maintained the current land situation until October 14. About 133 residents from Chandavai challenged the project over land they consider ancestral, used for farming, livestock, and containing homes, mosques, shrines, and graves.