Former Attorney General and Democratic Party leader Justin Muturi has raised alarm over the government’s plan to dissolve the Kenya Petroleum Refineries Limited (KPRL), terming it a dangerous move that could strip the country of a vital strategic asset.
Muturi said KPRL, located in Mombasa, has long been a pillar of Kenya’s energy sovereignty, owning over 400 acres of prime land in Nyali and Kilifi along the Indian Ocean. He warned that the government’s plan to merge KPRL’s assets with the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) is a veiled attempt to prepare both corporations for privatization.
“The motive is clear: to strip Kenya of one of its last remaining strategic assets and hand it to private, possibly foreign, interests,” Muturi said. “This is not reform but the state cannibalizing itself for short-term political and financial gain.”
He compared the planned move to past privatizations such as Telkom Kenya and Kenya Airways, which, according to him, led to national losses, job cuts, and increased dependency on foreign investors. Muturi described the plan as “generational theft,” warning that once KPRL’s land and infrastructure are gone, future governments will have no means to reclaim them.
Muturi also dismissed claims that KPRL is obsolete, saying its decline was due to deliberate neglect by successive governments. He argued that the facility could be modernized to support new energy technologies such as biofuel processing or serve as a crude reserve.
“The 400 acres of ocean-facing land are the real prize,” he said, warning that privatization would push it out of public hands forever. He faulted Parliament, the media, and civil society for their silence, saying the process violates transparency and public participation laws under the Public Finance Management, Privatization, and Energy Acts.
