What the connectivity data says about Lamu as the refinery breaks ground
Business Daily reported that Aliko Dangote broke ground on a Sh2 trillion refinery in Lamu on 30 September 2026. A companion report puts the cost at Sh2.1 trillion, a capacity of 700,000 barrels a day and about 60,000 jobs. I read what I could of both pieces, and the exact site, timeline and infrastructure plans sit behind a paywall. So I will not guess at them. What I can do is show you the county the project lands in. The headline sources are the report on the ceremony and the early winners piece.
Where Lamu sits today
Lamu ranks 36th of 47 counties on my composite score, at 34.8 out of 100. That puts it in the Low tier. Its 6,047 km² hold 109 schools in the Giga data.
Power is the strong layer
54.3% of Lamu households have electricity in the 2019 census data. That ranks 12th of 47 and sits well above the national figure of 38.7%. Of the layers I map, this is where Lamu does best.
Towers and internet use lag behind
Tower density is 3.6 per 100 km², which ranks 39th of 47. The median county has 42. Internet use is 28.8%, in 27th place and below the 35% national figure. A county with this much power and this little coverage has a mismatch worth looking at first.
A speed figure to read with care
Lamu averages 39.9 Mbps on mobile, but only 155 speed tests sit behind that number. 10,353 tests sit behind the Nairobi figure. I treat a figure built on 155 tests as a hint, not a measurement.
What I would watch next
A refinery brings contractors, workers and suppliers who all need reliable mobile and fibre links. The question for planners is whether coverage grows at the pace the construction does. I will update this page when the project publishes site plans or utility requirements. Until then the county numbers are the baseline to measure against.
| Measure | Lamu | Rank of 47 |
|---|---|---|
| Composite score | 34.8 | 36th |
| Electricity access | 54.3% | 12th |
| Internet use | 28.8% | 27th |
| Cell towers per 100 km² | 3.6 | 39th |
| Unemployment rate (2019) | 10.7% | 16th |
For the full county view, open the Lamu county page or read tower density across all 47 counties.
Frequently asked questions
How connected is Lamu County?
Lamu ranks 36th of 47 counties on my composite score at 34.8 out of 100, in the Low tier. Electricity access is 54.3% and internet use is 28.8%.
Where is the Lamu refinery being built?
Business Daily reported that Aliko Dangote broke ground on the refinery in Lamu on 30 September 2026. The articles I could read in full do not name the exact site, so I do not map it.
Explore the data
Open the interactive map or browse all 47 counties. County data is on the data page.