Second machinery shipment arrives at Lamu for planned Dangote refinery

Kenya’s Port of Lamu has received a second shipment of heavy machinery for the planned $17 billion Dangote East African Refinery, Business Insider Africa reported on 20 October 2026, citing the Kenya Ports Authority. The vessel MV Great Glory carried 154 assorted pieces of equipment for the project. The delivery follows a first consignment that reached Lamu on September 26 aboard MV Da Yang, carrying 2,930 metric tonnes of heavy machinery and construction equipment. That initial shipment arrived four days before the September 30 groundbreaking ceremony, attended by Kenyan President William Ruto and Dangote Group president Aliko Dangote. The latest cargo is another preparatory delivery for the proposed complex, rather than the start of refinery operations. According to Kenya’s Ministry of Roads and Transport, as cited in the report, the refinery is designed to process up to 700,000 barrels of crude oil a day. It is intended to supply petrol, diesel and aviation fuel to Kenya and other East African markets. Plans also include petrochemical and fertiliser facilities and a proposed 1,000-megawatt power plant. The development is linked to efforts to establish Lamu as an industrial and logistics hub along the LAPSSET corridor, intended to connect Kenya with neighbouring countries including Ethiopia and South Sudan. The refinery is expected to reduce dependence on imported refined fuel once completed and operating. Business Insider Africa also reported that the development faces land-related legal challenges. Some Lamu residents and Kenyan activists have contested the use of disputed land, arguing that it includes ancestral property. Those claims remain before the courts.