Nairobi — The Malindi Environment and Land Court has temporarily halted plans to construct the multibillion-shilling Dangote refinery in Lamu County. The suspension will remain in place until the court hears and determines an application filed by Salim Tima Swale and 132 other applicants.
The court issued the interim orders after the petitioners requested an urgent hearing to stop preparations for the proposed refinery project.
The applicants had asked the court to prevent the Office of the President, Dangote Industries, the Lamu County Government and other respondents from going ahead with the groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for Wednesday, September 30, 2026.
The interim orders will remain in effect until the court gives further directions on the application.
Justice Jane Onyango has declared as urgent a petition filed by Salim Tima Swale and 132 others and issued interim orders suspending activities on the land designated for the proposed Dangote refinery in Lamu County.
The judge ordered that the existing situation on L.R. No. 13061, located in the Hindi/Manda Magogoni area of Lamu County, remain unchanged until further instructions from the court. The order will remain in effect until October 14, 2026.
The court also temporarily prohibited the respondents from clearing, excavating, fencing, demolishing, developing, transferring, selling or otherwise interfering with the sections of the land occupied by the petitioners.
The orders followed an application by the 133 petitioners, who asked the court to safeguard their interests in the land. They argued that they had occupied and used their respective portions for many years.
The petitioners describe themselves as long-term residents, farmers and cultivators who have built homes and established farms on the land, including crops, trees and other developments.
The petitioners maintain that their claims to the land are not dependent only on official registration, but are also supported by their long-term occupation, possession, use, farming and development of the property.
They further argue that these interests must be acknowledged and considered if the land is subjected to any compulsory acquisition process.
The interim orders will remain in effect until October 14, 2026, when the case is expected to return to court for further directions.
