Ruto begins 8-day Coast tour, set to break ground for Ksh.2 trillion Dangote Refinery in Lamu

President William Ruto begins an 8-day development tour of the Coast region on Saturday with two key issues on the agenda - the issuance of nearly 200,000 title deeds and the groundbreaking of a new refinery in Lamu.

The tour, covering Taita-Taveta, Kwale, Kilifi, Mombasa, Tana River and Lamu counties, will provide the President with an opportunity to assess the progress of government projects in the region while engaging residents and local leaders on development priorities.

The issuance of title deeds is part of the government’s plan to distribute 500,000 land ownership documents as it seeks to address longstanding squatter and other land-related challenges that have affected communities in the Coast region for decades.

President Ruto is expected to issue 31,318 title deeds to residents of Mwatate and Voi constituencies. In Kwale County, 94,175 title deeds will be issued to beneficiaries in Lunga Lunga, Msambweni and Kinango constituencies.

In Kilifi County, residents of Kaloleni, Rabai, Ganze, Kilifi South and Malindi constituencies will receive 36,826 title deeds.

The President will also provide 4,360 title deeds to beneficiaries in Mombasa County, while a further 22,770 title deeds will be distributed in Lamu and Tana River counties.

The programme is part of President Ruto's administration’s broader efforts to resolve historical and administrative land challenges in the Coast region, where disputes and uncertainty over land ownership have remained a longstanding concern.

The documents will give beneficiaries formal ownership of and enable them to make greater use of their land for economic development activities.

For many beneficiaries, title deeds will provide greater certainty over land ownership after years of waiting for formal documentation.

During the working tour, President Ruto is also expected to commission completed development projects, inspect ongoing ones and launch new projects in the six counties.

Importantly, the President will break ground for the $16 billion (Ksh.2 trillion) Dangote East Africa Refinery in Lamu, a project to be jointly undertaken by the Kenyan government and Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote.

The refinery is expected to process crude from Lokichar, Turkana County, and other East African, Southern Africa and beyond, and supply refined petroleum products to these markets.

The refinery will enhance Kenya’s energy security by ensuring reliable supply of petroleum products while creating more than 60,000 jobs.