NAIROBI, Kenya- Greenpeace Africa has opposed plans to construct a 700,000-barrel-per-day oil refinery in Lamu County, warning that the proposed project could inflict irreversible damage on one of East Africa’s most sensitive coastal ecosystems while locking Kenya into decades of fossil fuel dependence.
In a statement issued on Monday, Greenpeace Africa’s Oil and Gas Campaigner, Sherelee Odayar, said the planned refinery poses significant environmental, economic and climate risks that outweigh the projected benefits.
“This project threatens to damage one of East Africa’s most fragile coastal ecosystems while locking Kenya into a risky fossil fuel future,” Odayar said.
She warned that Lamu’s mangrove forests, coral reefs and seagrass beds are vital natural assets that support fisheries, protect the coastline and sustain thousands of livelihoods.
According to Greenpeace Africa, a refinery of the proposed scale would increase the risk of habitat destruction, marine pollution, oil spills and harmful air emissions, potentially affecting communities that depend on fishing and tourism.
The environmental lobby also questioned claims that the project would create thousands of jobs, arguing that large fossil fuel investments often provide only short-term employment while disrupting long-established local economies.
“The promise of thousands of jobs cannot be used to hide the true cost of this investment,” Odayar said.
Greenpeace further warned that the refinery could become a stranded asset as countries around the world accelerate the transition to cleaner energy sources.
The organisation argued that instead of investing billions in fossil fuel infrastructure, Kenya should channel resources into expanding renewable energy, including solar, wind, geothermal power and energy storage technologies.
The statement comes amid growing debate over reports that Kenya and Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote are exploring the construction of a 700,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Lamu, a project that supporters say could strengthen regional energy security and reduce reliance on imported refined petroleum products.
Greenpeace Africa is now calling for an immediate suspension of any approvals related to the project until a comprehensive and independent Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) is completed, made public and subjected to meaningful public participation.
The organisation says the assessment should evaluate the cumulative impacts on Lamu’s marine ecosystems, fishing communities and the broader economic implications of investing in long-term fossil fuel infrastructure as the global energy transition gathers pace.