KAMPALA, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and his visiting Kenyan counterpart, William Ruto, have discussed the impasse Uganda faces in importing petroleum products through neighboring Kenya, according to a statement issued here late Monday.
"The two leaders discussed matters of mutual interest between Uganda and Kenya," the State House statement said.
Ruto, through his social media handle on X, formerly Twitter, said the issues of petroleum products between the two East African countries were being resolved. "We have agreed on a way forward for sourcing and scheduling imports for the region in a manner that will ensure we achieve the most competitive pricing and maximum logistical efficiency," he said.
The Kenyan leader said they also discussed the need for the two countries to urgently pursue the design and construction of the earlier conceptualized Eldoret-Kampala-Kigali refined petroleum product pipeline.
In December, Uganda took Kenya to the East African Court of Justice after Nairobi denied its neighboring country's government-owned oil company a license to operate locally and handle fuel imports headed to Uganda. In November, Kenya declined to issue Uganda National Oil Corporation a license to operate as a local oil marketer, prompting Uganda to go to the regional court in a bid to push for a green light from Kenya.
Landlocked Uganda has been planning the possibility of importing petroleum products through neighboring Tanzania as an alternative to the Kenya route. ■
