NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 7 – Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has accused parliamentary “gatekeepers” of frustrating scrutiny of the proposed Lamu refinery, just days after he filed a formal request for documents on the project with the Senate set to proceed on recess on October 9.

📻 Breaking It Down

Sifuna said the President’s call for critics to use “formal channels” was misleading, arguing that his request for information had already been formally lodged with the Senate but risked being blocked before reaching the House floor.

“The reason Ruto speaks confidently in rallies telling us to use ‘formal channels’ to get documents held by the state is he knows his gatekeepers in Parliament will never approve this business to make it to the floor,” Sifuna said.

“This one on the Lamu Refinery has suffered the same fate. We must uproot this entire system in 2027 to rescue our country.”

📌 What You Need to Know

The senator’s remarks came after he formally asked the Senate Standing Committee on Energy to compel the government to release records relating to the refinery, in a request stamped as received by the Senate on October 2.

The Energy Committee, chaired by Elgeyo Markwet Senator William Kisang, is yet to formally submit the statement on the floor of the house.

Sifuna’s request comes just days before the Senate is scheduled to proceed on recess on October 9, raising questions about how quickly the Energy Committee will act on the demand for documents. The Senate is scheduled to resume sittings on November 3.

Sifuna is seeking disclosure of the project’s financial model, ownership structure, public participation process, environmental assessments and the extent of any financial commitment by the Kenyan taxpayer.

His request is made under Standing Order 53(1), which allows a senator to seek a statement from a committee on a matter of public concern.

In the request, Sifuna argues that although there is no objection to development or foreign investment, the project must comply with constitutional requirements on transparency, accountability, public participation, sustainable development and public finance management.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya