Lamu refinery must go on!
Some political detractors & ethnic chauvinists opposed to Ruto administration have gone overdrive in the past few days in a doomed attempt to derail the launch of an oil refinery by Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangote. The media gave them traction.
Not surprising at all. Laughable indeed. But they only made a fool of themselves, asking why the haste? Who is Dangote? Who owns the shares? Where will it get crude oil? It's our ancestral land! Bla bla bla.
Kenya built its first refinery, Kenya Petroleum Oil Refinery, in Mombasa in 1963, and was shut down by the Government in 2013. It didn't have problems obtaining crude. It was owned 100% by Shell & BP until GoK acquired 50% stake in 1971. These shenanigans had no qualms about it. In 2005, S Sudan wanted a refinery in Mombasa, with a rail & pipeline link to Juba. The Kibaki team blocked it, demanding shares. Uhuru, Godana & I were invited by S Sudan as official opposition to intervene.
In 2008, Kibaki launched Vision 2030 in which Lappset corridor project was a flagship project. In 2012, an oil refinery in Lamu was included as a flagship project. Uhuru built 3 berths at Lamu port, spent over sh 42 billion & remained a white elephant. The Lappset road from Lamu to link Ethiopia, SSudan etc remained on paper.
Ruto picks it up. The road is under construction. The port is getting ships. The refinery is getting launched.
These ethnic chauvinists are suddenly alarmed. They rush to court, organize protests in Lamu and yap on the media....
Sad. They've led this country for decades & did not get us beyond the drinking dens of Karatina. Ruto sets the road to Singapore on his sights & they are getting choked. They mocked his inclusivity on development projects such as the Isiolo-Mandera highway. They rushed to court to block Rironi - Mai Mahiu Rd, NIF, etc.
This delusion of entitlement must end.
A $17 billion project is simply the most consequential investment in Kenya since independence. 700,000 b.p.d refinery is a game changer. The value chain in the economy is huge.
These detractors should be ashamed. It's a pity some aspire to lead our nation.
#DangoteWelcome
#LamuRefinery
@citizentvkenya Being a patriotic in Kenya is a daunting task; one is viewed with skepticism in the public space, and suspected in the non-public space. The price a true patriot pays is oftentimes personal pain and institutional discomfort. I love my country. This simple fact will never change.
The Ol Kalou by-election was more than a local contest, it was a 2027 coalition signal. If Mt. Kenya has politically detached from President Ruto, it may also have weakened its leverage to retain the deputy presidency and other key Executive positions. The real beneficiaries could be Western and Nyanza, whose bargaining power has just grown. The winners in Ol Kalou can have their victory parade today, but the real political dividends may be harvested elsewhere.
Justice Lady Karanja, Justice Francis Tuiyott and Weldon Korir have delivered a fantastic judgment on the Ruaraka land fraud that led to the loss of a staggering Kshs 1.5 billion of taxpayer's money. @OleItumbi will love this judgment. I will be suprised if the Hon. Attorney in the next seven days does not file for civil recovery of the money and @ODPP_KE doesn't file criminal prosecution. I can't see how someone can run for an elective office after reading this judgment..
Today, I joined fellow County officials and Old Town Ward MCA Hon. Abdulrahman Hussein in a consultative meeting chaired by County Secretary Jeizan Farouq on the ongoing exercise to clear and restructure public reserve roads across the county.
The meeting brought together County officials and youths from Old Town Ward, who openly shared their concerns. Through dialogue and understanding, the matter was amicably resolved.
As a County Government, we remain committed to restoring order and accessibility while ensuring our youths are supported through alternative opportunities and solutions.
STATEMENT
Last night was very difficult at our home in Magere. The military and police raided us. They switched off power and cut off some of our CCTV cameras. There were helicopters hovering over.
I want to confirm that I managed to escape from them. Currently, I am not at home, although my wife and other family members remain under house arrest. I know that these criminals are looking for me everywhere, and I am trying my best to keep safe. I understand that there has been great concern and speculation regarding my whereabouts. Please understand this is the context of a nationwide internet shutdown. Given the commotion that happened at our house at night, and given that no one is allowed to access the house, our neighbours concluded that they had succeeded in abducting us and spread the news.
I reiterate our COMPLETE REJECTION of the fake results Byabakama is reading. In addition to the ballot stuffing, the military take-over of the election, the detention of our leaders and polling officials, and other electoral offences, their results have zero backing!
We condemn the murder of numerous citizens who have thus far attempted to peacefully demonstrate against the broad daylight thuggery. The people of Uganda have the right to protest in defence of their sovereign right to determine a government of their choice - not the kind of criminality we're witnessing.
Aside from the blatant theft of the presidential election, these criminals have employed various fraudulent techniques to usurp the will of the people in numerous constituencies across the country. NUP candidates are being targeted - even when they have 100% evidence that they won. This is absolute madness.
The PEOPLE OF UGANDA WILL ULTIMATELY WIN.
Note: Some of these pictures were taken last night and others today morning.
END