Thousands of residents in the Magogoni area of Lamu are asking the national government to provide them with alternative settlement land, as uncertainty grows over their future three days after the groundbreaking of the Dangote East Africa oil refinery on the site they occupy.

Residents say they have not challenged the government's call to vacate the land, but allege that land brokers are trying to mislead both them and the government over who legitimately owns the area. Their concerns come against the backdrop of President William Ruto's declaration that the government will not compensate individuals occupying public land, only those with genuine claims to private land required for the project. As of Saturday, tractors continued working the land, with residents describing a settlement that has developed over the past decade now facing an uncertain future.

Beatrice Kadzo, a resident of Kalavu, described the confusion over the process: "Wanaendelea kazi yao kuchimba mchanga. Tunaambiwa kwamba mpaka hiyo mchanga iende ipimwe na tujulikane kwamba sisi tuko ndani ama tuko nje. Sisi tumebaki hali ya kuwa, yaani hatuelewi, hatujachanganyikiwa kusema ule ukweli" ("They continue their work digging the sand. We are told the sand needs to be surveyed before we know if we are inside or outside [the project boundary]. We remain in a state where, honestly, we don't understand, we're confused about what the truth is"). Mohamed Omar, a Magogoni resident, appealed directly for a clear resettlement plan: "Tunaomba serikali bwana isituondoshe hivi hivi kavukavu... Sisi twaomba watu watufidie sisi hizi haki zetu, ardhi zetu za miaka na miaka" ("We ask the government not to simply remove us like this, with nothing... We ask that people compensate us for our rights, our land that we have held for many years").

Most residents said they originally relocated from Pate Island and do not hold title deeds for the subdivided land they now occupy, a gap they say has left them exposed as new claimants to the land have emerged following the refinery's announcement. Said Ali, a resident of Mkondoni, voiced suspicion about those claims: "Sisi ni wenyeji, tumemiliki ardhi kwa kulima, ila kwa documents sisi sio wenyewe. Na sisi tulipokuja hapa hawa matajiri hatujawahi kuwaona mpaka saa hii" ("We are the locals, we have held this land through farming, though on paper we are not the official owners. And when we arrived here, we had never seen these wealthy people until now").

Government response

Treasury and Economic Planning Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi acknowledged the government is aware of the land ownership disputes in the area, pointing to opportunistic claims rather than dismissing residents' concerns outright. "Cartels are all over in town with briefcases brokering, bringing people who have never set foot there and claiming they are locals. But if there are genuine cases, the government is not irresponsible to just evict without compensation or looking for alternative spaces for compensation," he said.

According to the government, the refinery is being built on land previously set aside for the LAPSSET transport corridor project. A Malindi court declined to halt the refinery's groundbreaking, with a petition filed by a section of residents now scheduled for hearing on Oct. 14.