Jubilee presidential aspirant Dr Fred Matiang’i yesterday kicked off his five-day tour of the Coast Region and called for transparency in the Dangote East African petroleum refinery project in Lamu County.
He said details of major agreements involving public resources should be made available for scrutiny.
Matiang’i said legitimate concerns over commercial or national security should not be used to shield agreements from parliamentary oversight, insisting that relevant contracts should be submitted to the appropriate parliamentary committees.
His remarks came amid renewed scrutiny of Kenya’s petroleum arrangements and the recently launched Sh2.2 trillion Dangote refinery project in Lamu, whose construction deadline is 40 months and which is expected to create 60,000 jobs.
The proposed refinery has also faced questions over the disclosure of government agreements and the state’s stake in the project.
"We should not use legitimate commercial or security concerns to shield agreements between government and private investors from parliamentary oversight," he warned, adding that this could be abused by the executive.
Matiang’i was addressing a press conference where the Jubilee Party announced a political partnership with Kadu Asili ahead of the 2027 general election.
Kadu Asili leader Mr Muzo Nzili said the alliance would focus on addressing long-standing issues affecting the Coast region, including land rights and squatters, mining concessions in Mrima, marine and blue economy resources, and employment opportunities at the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) and other public organisations.
Nzili, the former Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) national chairman, endorsed Matiang’i's presidential bid, citing his record as Education Cabinet Secretary and describing him as a leader capable of addressing political marginalisation at the Coast.
"Dr Matiang'i has been tested and is capable of bringing positive change in the Coast region, and hence we have decided to support him," Nzili said.
Matiang’i welcomed the partnership, saying Jubilee's approach was to unite different opposition parties rather than operate as an exclusive political outfit.
He further pledged to support the proposed Coast Region Integrated Development Plan for 2027 to 2037, which he said would provide a framework for addressing infrastructure and economic priorities in the region.
Matiang'i also said opposition parties were in consultations on the possibility of presenting a common leadership team in the 2027 elections but stressed that any agreement would have to be based on consensus and mutual respect.