Nairobi — Kenya and Uganda have held discussions on the possible extension of the petroleum products pipeline from Eldoret to Kampala, Uganda.

This follows a meeting that was held last week between Uganda's Minister of Energy and Mineral Development Ruth Ssentamu and Kenya's Ministry of Energy officials led by State Department for Petroleum PS Mohammed Liban.

"Extension of the pipeline to Uganda is a strategic move for Kenya as the country seeks to regain its competitive advantage in the petroleum export market, particularly in light of Uganda's new importation strategy," KPC Managing Director Joe Sang said.

"KPC is open and willing to collaborate with the Ugandan government to lay the Eldoret - Malaba pipeline," he added.

The project will entail construction of a multi-product oil pipeline from Eldoret to Malaba (Kenya-Uganda border) on Kenya's part.

However, Uganda will be responsible for building a connecting line to Kampala, while future expansions to Kigali and Rwanda are also being considered.

Ssentamu noted that the visit entailed planning and preparation for the kick-off of the project as well as understanding Kenya Pipeline's operations, infrastructure, and human capacity.

This initiative follows Uganda's recent transition to independent fuel imports, which began in early July, thereby ending its previous dependence on Kenya for the supply of refined petroleum products.

Under a new agreement between the Uganda National Oil Corporation (UNOC) and Vitol Bahrain, Uganda aims to secure more competitive fuel prices while still relying on Kenya's Port of Mombasa and the Kenya Pipeline Company's (KPC) infrastructure for the transportation of these products to the Western Kenya depots of Eldoret and Kisumu.

The concept for this pipeline was first mooted in 1995 through a Memorandum of Understanding between Uganda and Kenya and was revisited in May 2024 following a feasibility study funded by the European Investment Bank, which confirmed the project's viability.