Ruto defends Tanga refinery plan after Samia says she was kept in the dark

President William Ruto addresses Tanzania Parliament in Dodoma on Tuersday, May 5, 2026. [PCS]

President William Ruto has defended his announcement of a proposed regional oil refinery in Tanga after Tanzanian counterpart Samia Suluhu Hassan said she was not consulted.

The dispute arose after Ruto, alongside Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote, backed plans for a 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Tanga during the Africa We Build Summit 2026 in Nairobi on April 23.

Suluhu raised her concerns at the Kenya-Tanzania Business Forum at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre in Dar es Salaam on Monday, May 4.

"When we were having a conversation, I asked Ruto why he announced a refinery in Tanga without my knowledge. Now he will explain to himself why he announced it," said Suluhu.

Ruto acknowledged the diplomatic awkwardness with a joke, telling his hosts that had he foreseen the reaction, he would have suggested Mombasa instead.

He then defended the proposal as a product of broader regional consultations rather than a unilateral decision.

"Our discussion was about how to industrialise our region using our resources. It is my belief and that of the leaders in our region that whatever raw materials we have should be used for the industrialisation of our region so that we can create wealth, jobs and expand opportunities here," explained Ruto.

He pressed his case further the following day, addressing Tanzania's parliament in Dodoma on Tuesday, the second time a Kenyan president has done so.

Speaking in Swahili, Ruto appealed directly to lawmakers.

"Naskia mnamuliza Mama Suluhu mswali magumu, mbona yule bwana ameenda kutangaza refinery ya Tanga na sisi wenyewe hatujatangaza? Sasa nauliza nyinyi, ile refinery is a big investment. It is in billions of dollars. Kama mimi ningekuwa na nafasi ningeipeleka kule Kenya. Lakini kwa sababu ya kuamini ujirani, na bara la Africa na umoja sisi ni wamoja nikasema ikijengwa Tanga ni kama vile imejengwa Kenya," said Ruto.

In the remarks, he told MPs he would have taken the investment to Kenya but chose Tanga out of neighbourly faith and African unity, drawing a direct line between the diplomatic row and the case for regional solidarity.

He said Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda had indicated willingness to invest in the project, describing it as a joint economic venture.

"The good people of Tanzania are lucky that we are discussing how to build a refinery in Tanga. It is an investment the government of Kenya is willing to undertake, Uganda is willing to invest, and many other countries are ready to come on board," he noted.

Ruto cited the geographic advantage of linking Tanga to Mombasa through existing pipeline infrastructure.

"We can use all our assets appropriately, transport crude from Uganda, refine it in Tanga, and distribute it throughout the region because the distance between Tanga and Mombasa is short and we already have a pipeline of refined product from Mombasa," he added.

He framed the refinery as part of a broader effort to end raw-material exports from Africa.

"We can no longer continue to export raw materials. We need to be intentional about creating jobs and opportunities here rather than exporting them," he noted.

The discussion comes weeks after Dangote proposed constructing a major oil refinery in East Africa during the Africa We Build Summit in Nairobi, saying the project could mirror his 650,000-barrels-per-day facility in Nigeria and be completed within five years if regional governments support it.