The Malindi Environment and Land Court has declined to stop the planned Dangote refinery project in Lamu following an application seeking to halt the multi-trillion-shilling project.

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This follows an application by 133 Chandavai residents in Lamu challenging the planned Ksh2 trillion refinery on land they claimed as ancestral property.

In a court document obtained by Kenyans.co.ke , Justice Jane Onyango on September 25 declined to certify the application as urgent and ordered the parties to maintain the status quo on disputed land.

Under the interim order, the status quo on Land Reference No. 13061 in Manda Magogoni, Lamu, will be maintained until October 14, when the application will be heard.

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The court further directed the respondents to be served with the application and given 14 days to file their responses before the inter partes hearing.

"It is hereby ordered that the application is not certified as urgent and that the application be served upon the respondents forthwith," the court ordered.

"Upon service, the respondents shall file their response within 14 days. It is also hereby ordered that the application be fixed for hearing on October 14, 2026," the court further stated.

The 133 residents challenged the takeover of the land they claim their families have occupied and used for generations, arguing they have not been adequately compensated or given a clear resettlement plan.

They claimed that parts of LR No. 13061 are used for farming and livestock keeping and contain homes, mosques, shrines and family graves, making the land central to their livelihoods and community life.

In their application, the petitioners named several government agencies, including the National Land Commission, LAPSSET Corridor Development Authority, the Lamu County Government, and Dangote Industries as respondents.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke