The groundbreaking of a major refinery project in Lamu has sparked an important national conversation—not only about investment and job creation, but also about the rights of Kenyan landowners when the government compulsorily acquires private land.

President William Samoei Ruto and other dignitaries attended the official groundbreaking ceremony, alongside Nigerian business magnate Aliko Dangote. The proposed investment has been presented as a major economic opportunity, with the government projecting that tens of thousands of jobs could be created.

But while the economic benefits of the project are being discussed, some residents in the area where the refinery is proposed have raised objections to the acquisition of their land.