President Museveni has revealed that the late Kenyan politician Cyrus Jirongo was the person who alerted him that Uganda was procuring petroleum products through middlemen in Kenya.
Museveni said Jirongo brought the matter to his attention around 2019, prompting him to task the then Minister of Energy, Irene Muloni, with investigating and addressing the procurement arrangement.
The President made the disclosure in a statement issued after remarks he delivered while laying the foundation stone for the 320-million-litre Kampala Storage Terminal in Mpigi District.
Museveni said Uganda had for years been purchasing petroleum products through intermediaries in Kenya without his knowledge.
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"It was a Kenyan Senator called Jirongo who told me this around 2019. I immediately tasked the then Minister Irene Muloni to sort out that mess," Museveni said.
He said, however, that the intervention did not immediately result in a change to the procurement system.
"Nevertheless, nothing happened, until 2023 when we linked up with a group known as Vitol that has refineries in different parts of the World and are also bulk suppliers," he said.
Museveni said the arrangement with Vitol, dated August 18, 2023, resulted in lower prices for petroleum products purchased by Uganda.
According to figures cited by the President, the price for diesel fell from US$118 to US$83 per metric tonne, while petrol declined from US$97.50 to US$61.50.
The price of aviation fuel, he said, fell from US$114.25 to US$79.25 per metric tonne.
Museveni said the new arrangement was made possible in part by cooperation from the Kenyan government.
"I want to thank H.E Ruto because he prevailed over some actors in Kenya who were trying to resist," he said.
He added that Kenya subsequently allowed Uganda to pump its petroleum products through the Kenya oil pipeline, in which Uganda was allowed to acquire a 20.15% shareholding.
"We are very happy with the Kenya Government of President Ruto on this matter," Museveni said.
The President's remarks come as Uganda moves to strengthen its petroleum supply chain and expand domestic storage capacity.
The new Kampala Storage Terminal in Mpigi, being developed by the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC), is designed to hold 320 million litres of petroleum products. The government says the facility will strengthen Uganda's strategic fuel reserves and reduce vulnerability to supply disruptions.
Museveni's disclosure about Jirongo followed earlier remarks in which he said a Kenyan senator had alerted him to Uganda's use of middlemen.
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Kenyan media subsequently identified the senator as Jirongo, a former Lugari MP and Cabinet minister under former President Daniel arap Moi. Jirongo died in December 2025.
Uganda has historically relied on Kenya as its main route for imported petroleum products, with most fuel entering through the Port of Mombasa and moving inland through the Kenya Pipeline system.
Before government changed its procurement model in 2023, Ugandan oil marketers largely sourced fuel through companies and traders operating in Kenya.
President Museveni has argued that the involvement of intermediaries increased the cost of petroleum products.
