President William Ruto has announced a KSh7.5 billion investment to construct 3,000 additional affordable housing units in Lamu County as preparations for the Dangote East Africa Refinery gather pace.
Speaking in Mokowe on Saturday, October 3, during the issuance of title deeds to Lamu residents, Ruto said the housing project would help meet the expected demand from workers and other people who will move to the county as the refinery and related industries develop.
“As a contribution by the Government of Kenya, we are allocating Ksh7.5 billion to build 3,000 housing units as we develop the refinery in Lamu County so that those who will live here have decent dwellings,” the President said.
The announcement comes days after the groundbreaking of the KSh2.2 trillion Dangote East Africa Refinery in Lamu. The planned facility has a processing capacity of 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day and is expected to form part of a wider industrial complex that will include power generation and petrochemical-related facilities.
Ruto said the new housing investment would be separate from ongoing government projects in Lamu, including affordable housing, modern markets and student hostels, which he put at a combined cost of KSh6 billion.
He also called on private investors to establish businesses and services that could support the growing economic activity expected around the refinery, including shops, hotels, accommodation facilities, transport services and other enterprises.
Government promises community involvement
Ruto announced that the national government and Lamu County Government would establish a standing committee to address concerns raised by residents over the refinery project.
He said residents would be involved in decisions concerning the development and assured them that the project would prioritise the interests of the people of Lamu.
The President also warned against what he described as political efforts and court cases intended to frustrate the refinery project.
However, the development has already attracted legal and community scrutiny. A Kenyan court recently ordered the status quo to be maintained following a land dispute involving residents who have raised concerns over ancestral land, compensation and environmental assessment. The legal challenge has not stopped the project's groundbreaking, but it remains an important issue surrounding its development.
Thousands of title deeds issued
During his visit to Lamu, Ruto issued title deeds to residents of several community lands and settlement schemes, including Ashuwei, Mvundeni, Rubu, Mwambore, Simambae, Shanga/Ishakani, Muhamarani, Kauthara and Hindi Magogoni.
He urged residents not to pay anyone for processing the documents, saying the government had covered the costs as part of efforts to address historical land injustices.
Ruto said he would return to the Coast before the end of the year to issue an additional 200,000 title deeds. He said the government had issued 300,000 title deeds across the six Coast counties during his week-long tour.
Tana River projects
The President later moved to Tana River County, where he laid the foundation stone for the KSh85 million Garsen Community Sports Ground.
At Garsen market grounds, he issued more than 4,500 title deeds to beneficiaries of the Galili, Bubesa A and B, and Kon-dertu settlement schemes.
He also said the government was working to facilitate the settlement of squatters after ranch owners signalled their willingness to sell 30,000 acres of land to the government.
At Hola in Galole Constituency, Ruto launched the Tana River Last Mile Electricity Connectivity Project.
He concluded his Coast tour by laying the foundation stone for hostels at Fayya Technical and Vocational College in Bura Constituency.
The President was accompanied by Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, Cabinet Secretaries Alice Wahome, Hassan Joho and Salim Mvurya, Governors Issa Timamy of Lamu and Dhadho Godhana of Tana River, as well as other national and county government officials.
