Billionaire Aliko Dangote has downplayed reports that a court stopped his proposed Ksh2 trillion oil refinery in Lamu, saying such legal challenges are normal in Africa.

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Speaking during Kenyan and East African institutional investors in Nairobi on Tuesday, September 29, Aliko said he is prepared for the court battle and that such orders would not deter his plan.

“Yesterday, as I was landing here at night, I saw an article by Bloomberg that the court has given orders that we should not do any construction,” Dangote said.

"I said this is normal for us in Africa. In fact, this is small,” he added, maintaining that he is prepared to confront those opposing his investments.

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In his speech, the billionaire cited a case in Senegal where one of his factories was halted, forcing his company to seek the Supreme Court’s intervention.

While terming the court order a small matter, he maintained that Kenya remains an important investment destination and said his company was prepared to deal with challenges affecting its projects.

His remarks came after the Malindi Environment and Land Court declined to certify as urgent an application by 133 residents seeking to stop the planned refinery development in Lamu County.

In a court document obtained by Kenyans.co.ke , Justice Jane Onyango ordered the parties to maintain the status quo on Land Reference No. 13061 in Manda Magogoni until October 14, when the application will be heard.

The court further directed the residents to serve the application on the respondents, who were given 14 days to file their responses before the inter partes hearing.

The residents had challenged the takeover of the land, claiming that their families have occupied and used the property for generations and that they have not received adequate compensation or a resettlement plan.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke