Kenya and Uganda have signed seven Memoranda of Understanding to deepen bilateral relations between the two countries.
President William Ruto said the 2nd Session of the Joint Ministerial Meeting(JMC) held from May 12 to 14 2024, in Kampala, Uganda, culminated in the signing of seven instruments of cooperation.
The President said Kenya and Uganda are firmly united by relations deeply rooted in shared history, culture, and aspirations for regional peace and prosperity.
“The Tripartite Agreement on the Importation and Transit of Refined Petroleum Products through Kenya to Uganda whose signing we have just witnessed enables the Uganda National Oil Company Limited to Import refined petroleum commodities directly from producer jurisdictions thus bringing to an end the challenges faced by the sector In Uganda,” President Ruto said.
According to President Ruto, the seven MoUs signed helped to resolve other trade barriers between the two countries.
The other agreements included MoUs in Education cooperation, sports, youth affairs, Public Service Management and Development and cooperation between Foreign Service institutions.
President Ruto further noted that the two nations had also agreed to jointly extend the Standard Gauge Railway from Naivasha to Kampala to DRC.
“The meeting also emphasized the importance of extending the SGR not only from Naivasha to Malaba but all the way to Kampala and DRC as an efficient and sustainable Infrastructural artery for the transportation of goods,” he said.
“We have obliged our respective Ministers to take joint urgent measures to mobilize resources for the implementation of this regional shared Infrastructure and report on progress by the end of 2024.”
The agreement which comes months after a dispute between the two countries over oil transportation.
The two nations had been at loggerheads after Nairobi denied Uganda’s government-owned oil marketer a licence to operate locally and handle fuel imports to the capital Kampala.
Nairobi refused the use of the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) infrastructure to move its refined petroleum products from Mombasa port to Uganda.
The aftermath saw Uganda suing Kenya at the East African Court of Justice on December 28, accusing Kenya of denying the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) rights to operate as an Oil Marketing Company (OMC) in Kenya.
