Lamu refinery dream faces one major hurdle: Kenya's skills gap

Even before the groundbreaking ceremony for the grand construction of an oil refinery in Lamu County takes place, concerns have emerged over the lack of a skilled workforce in the country to operate a modern refinery.

On paper, the figures are extraordinary. An investment of Sh2.2 trillion in a refinery with a projected processing capacity of 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day, making it the second largest in Africa. It is estimated that it will provide 60,000 jobs for Kenyan youth.

President William Ruto has tasked Deputy President Prof Kithure Kindiki to chair a high-level implementation committee, while the government has committed Sh21.5 billion in seed capital to support what promises to be one of the largest industrial investments in Kenya's history.

If successfully implemented, the Dangote Industries Refinery in Lamu will fundamentally reshape Kenya's energy sector and elevate the country's position within the regional economy. However, behind the optimism lies a far more important question inadequate skills in the local job market.

Engineer John Mtuta Mruttu, a former general manager of Kenya Petroleum Oil Refinery Limited (KPRL), said Kenya has made tremendous efforts in equipping people working in the refinery sector, when compared to how KPRL started operations in 1962.

''There are many institutions that are offering technical and engineering petroleum courses. There will still be needs for an internal training at the facility, as some equipment that will be deployed to the Lamu refinery will be of high tech," said Mruttu.

''At minimum, it will help the country to add value to the crude oil discoveries within the Turkana basin instead of exporting it as raw material. The refinery's establishment will create jobs for Kenyans and people from the region."

Other experts however disagree with Mruttu, saying that the country does not have enough highly skilled refinery operators, petroleum engineers, process technicians and control-room specialists. They say that producing these specialists takes time not overnight.

Maritime consultant Andrew Mwangura points out that infrastructure can be financed, steel imported and pipelines constructed, but getting specialists takes time.

''Unless Kenya acts with urgency, the country risks building one of Africa's largest refineries without developing the skilled workforce needed to run it. That would represent a costly strategic failure,'' he states.

The proposed refinery, expected to become operational within 30 to 36 months, is designed to supply refined petroleum products across East and Central Africa, including Ethiopia, Uganda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Beyond reducing the region's dependence on imported refined fuels, it has the potential to transform Lamu into one of Africa's most significant energy and industrial hubs while reinforcing the strategic objectives of the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor.

''However, industrial transformation depends as much on people as it does on infrastructure. Kenya has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to deliver ambitious physical projects. What has often lagged behind is investment in the specialised skills required to sustain them. The maritime sector offers a cautionary lesson," said Mwangura

He said that despite years of investment in ports, shipping and the Blue Economy, the country continues to grapple with shortages of internationally certified seafarers, marine engineers, and maritime technical professionals. ''We must not repeat the same mistake in the petroleum sector,'' he said.

Mwangura said these professionals cannot be trained through conventional academic programmes alone as they require extensive practical exposure, industrial attachments, simulation-based learning, and internationally recognised professional certification.

"Without deliberate intervention, Kenya will inevitably rely on expatriate expertise during both construction and operational phases. That outcome should concern every policymaker," Mwangura said, adding that the experience of other petroleum-producing countries provides valuable lessons.

Other experts in oil and gas industries locally say that skills audits undertaken within Africa's oil refining industry have consistently identified gaps between university curricula and the practical competencies demanded by modern refinery operations.

Eng Kennedy Ochieng said that employers frequently cite deficiencies in process control, plant operations, instrumentation, quality assurance, and industrial safety.

"Kenya has an opportunity to avoid this mismatch but only if education providers begin aligning programmes with industry requirements immediately. This is therefore a defining moment for Kenya's universities, technical institutions, and TVET colleges," said Ochieng.

Mwangura points out further that the refinery is no longer a theoretical concept. Engineering studies, feasibility assessments, and site preparations are already underway. Construction is expected to last between 30 and 36 months.

"That effectively gives Kenya three years to produce the first generation of refinery-ready professionals," he said, adding that the response from our education sector must therefore be bold, coordinated, and urgent.

There are calls to universities and other institutions to expand petroleum engineering programmes while introducing specialised courses in refinery operations, petrochemical processing, and industrial automation.

''Technical institutions should develop competency-based training in process instrumentation, industrial maintenance, welding technologies, corrosion management, electrical systems, and refinery safety.

"Partnerships between Dangote Industries, Kenyan universities, technical institutions, and international refinery operators should be established to facilitate industrial attachments, apprenticeships, and technology transfer,' Kevin Boniface, a retired high school teacher and economist," he said.

Ochieng and Mwangura said, equally important, the government must develop a comprehensive national petroleum skills development strategy bringing together the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA), the Commission for University Education, industry regulators, and private investors.

Such a strategy should include targeted scholarships for petroleum engineering students, investment in refinery simulation laboratories, faculty exchange programmes with established international petroleum institutions, and strong local-content provisions requiring progressive localisation of skilled employment throughout the project's lifecycle.

Lamu refinery extends well beyond energy security. It has the potential to stimulate investment in petrochemicals, storage facilities, marine fuel bunkering, logistics, manufacturing, and export-orientated industries. It will strengthen the LAPSSET Corridor while enhancing Kenya's competitiveness within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Yet none of these ambitions can be realised without a workforce capable of operating one of the continent's most sophisticated industrial facilities. '' he said.

He points out that by the time the first crude oil enters Lamu's refining units, Kenya should not be searching for qualified personnel overseas. It should be celebrating a generation of highly trained Kenyan professionals ready to operate, manage, and lead one of Africa's most strategically important energy projects.