Uganda and Kenya signed a tripartite agreement in relation to the importation and transit of refined petroleum products from Kenya to Uganda, which will be conducted by the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC).
The agreement was inked between Kenya's Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, Uganda's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, and the UNOC.
"[The agreement] enables Uganda National Oil Company Ltd. to import refined oil products and commodities directly from producers in different jurisdictions, thus bringing to an end the challenges faced by the sector in Uganda. We will continuously provide support to make sure that this new agreement is implemented, is functioning, and is mutually beneficial," Kenya's President William Ruto said after the signing.
On Wednesday, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni arrived in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, for a three-day official visit.
"I am delighted to be in Kenya today at the invitation of H.E. Ruto. This serves as a platform to further strengthen the strong historical ties between Uganda and Kenya. I look forward to having fruitful discussions during this visit," the head of state wrote on X.
The visit comes after Kenya and Uganda recently ended their second session of the Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) on May 12-14, during which seven memoranda of understanding were signed in the following areas: public service management; education; small and medium enterprise development; sports; youth; commerce; and investment.
Furthermore, in order to guarantee the quick and complete execution of decisions made during past and most recent JMC sessions and bilateral meetings, the countries committed to establishing a Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanism.
They also agreed to address both tariff and non-tariff barriers in a new cooperation agreement, which was once again confirmed by Ruto during his speech on Thursday.