The Thirdway Alliance Kenya Party has written to Attorney General Dorcas Oduor, requesting access to the full agreement and or contract between the Government of Kenya and Dangote East Africa Refinery and Petrochemicals.
In a letter dated October 2, 2026, Thirdway Alliance says that although the KSh2.2 trillion Dangote Oil Refinery launched in Lamu on Wednesday, September 30 has enormous economic benefits to Kenyans, it is opposed to any opaque initiatives, as well as initiatives that burden ‘mwananchi’ and go contrary to the spirit of ‘punguzamizigo’.
“Pursuant to Article 35(1)(a) and (3) of the Constitution of Kenya, alongside Sections 4, 5, and 9 of the Access to Information Act, 2016, Thirdway Alliance Kenya formally requests full access to the agreement or contract executed between the Government of Kenya (or any associated public entity) and the Dangote Group or its project entity, Dangote Refineries Limited SEZ, regarding the Dangote East Africa Refinery and Petrochemicals SEZ located in Lamu,” the letter reads.
The move by the Dr. Ekuru Aukot-led party comes amid a public debate over the details of the contract of the Dangote refinery in Lamu, with the opposition pushing for the publishing of the contents, while President William Ruto insists that will not happen.
According to Aukot, Kenya is a country governed by the constitution, and is not President Ruto’s personal or private company. Aukot wants the AG, in her capacity as the Government’s principal legal adviser under Article 156, to advise President Ruto accordingly and ensure that “this request is processed immediately”.
The party is requesting far more than just a public look at the contract, they are also seeking a comprehensive disclosure of the project’s financial architecture. This includes; the list of all beneficial owners of Dangote East Africa Refinery and Petrochemicals SEZ; details of all current directors of the company and the official CR12 documentation for all locally incorporated corporate shareholders and corresponding registry documents for foreign entity shareholders, reflecting the ownership structure of Dangote East Africa Refinery and Petrochemicals SEZ.
The party has taken issues to President Ruto’s name-calling of the opposition leaders who have made similar calls, insisting that seeking access to public government contracts is an inalienable constitutional right under Article 35.
Thirdway Alliance maintains that while foreign investment that advances Kenya’s interests is welcome, Kenyans remain fully entitled to scrutinise any contractual commitments made on its behalf.
“This request is made necessary by the recent indignant public pronouncements by H.E President William Ruto dismissing calls for accountability,” the letter adds. “Citizens seeking details on the matter have been disparagingly referred to as “matapeli” by the president and accused of attempting to extort the investor, a hostile characterization we firmly reject as baseless.”
The party now wants President Ruto’s administration to publish the agreement and material government commitments regarding the high-profile project on an official public website and also provide electronic copies, in conformity with Article 35(3) and section 5 of the Act.
The party added: “We further request you to confirm whether the agreement or project was laid before, debated, approved or ratified by Parliament. If it was, provide the dates and relevant Hansard, committee, resolution and approval records. If it was not, state whether the Government considers parliamentary approval necessary and the legal basis for its position, including whether the project is treated as a public-private partnership and creates any public financial liability.”
