President William Ruto has announced that Kenya will officially commence the extraction of crude oil in Turkana County before December of this year. Speaking during a comprehensive media interview at State House, Mombasa, the President confirmed that the government is actively implementing measures to jumpstart the country’s long-awaited petroleum production sector, signaling a major milestone for Kenya’s energy landscape.
According to President Ruto, the extraction phase is slated to begin shortly, followed by the immediate transportation of the crude oil out of the region. This development breathes new life into the Turkana oil fields, which have faced various delays and logistical hurdles over the years as successive administrations sought viable commercial frameworks for the project.
The renewed push for Turkana oil is directly tied to the government’s ambitious plans to develop a major petroleum refinery in Lamu. President Ruto revealed that the administration has already secured a strategic partnership with African industrial tycoon Aliko Dangote to facilitate critical infrastructure for the project. Under the agreement, Dangote is set to invest in the construction of a dedicated pipeline stretching from the oil fields in Turkana all the way to the coastal town of Lamu.
“We have agreed with Dangote that he will invest in a pipeline from Lamu to Turkana so that we can bring the oil from Turkana to Lamu,” President Ruto stated during the media briefing.
However, the President acknowledged the practical limitations of local production, noting that domestic reserves alone would not be sufficient to sustain the large-scale industrial requirements of the proposed facility. The projected Lamu refinery is designed to have a massive processing capacity of 700,000 barrels per day. In contrast, Turkana’s output will serve as a foundational component rather than the sole source of feedstock.
“Even Turkana cannot give you 700,000 barrels. So we will get crude from everywhere,” Ruto explained, emphasizing that the domestic crude will be blended with supplies sourced from international markets.
Drawing comparisons to successful continental models, Ruto pointed to the state-of-the-art Dangote refinery in Lagos, Nigeria, which similarly relies on a diverse mix of crude sources from various international geographies to maintain optimal operational capacity.
Beyond simply processing raw fuel, the Lamu facility is envisioned as a comprehensive production hub. The President noted that the refinery will manufacture essential petroleum products, including aviation fuel, to adequately supply both the local Kenyan market and the broader East African regional economy.
Furthermore, the refinery is designed to serve as the anchor for a much wider industrial complex in Lamu. The government is aggressively courting both domestic and international investors to pour capital into ancillary sectors, including petrochemicals, chemical processing, and plastics manufacturing. This broader industrial strategy aims to transform Lamu into a bustling economic corridor, generating thousands of jobs and positioning Kenya as a major refining and manufacturing powerhouse in the region.
