Ruto made the remarks on April 22, 2026, while addressing officials in Kenya, where he outlined Nairobi’s intention to secure a strategic stake in Uganda’s downstream petroleum sector.
He emphasized that Kenya’s participation would not only guarantee fuel security for the country but also strengthen regional integration under the East African Community framework.

The refinery, a flagship project championed by President Yoweri Museveni, is being developed in western Uganda with financing led by UAE-based Alpha MBM Investments LLC.

The project, estimated at about $4 billion, will have a capacity of 60,000 barrels per day and is expected to significantly reduce Uganda’s dependence on imported petroleum products.

The deal with the UAE investors was formalized on April 19, 2025, at State House Entebbe, where President Museveni hosted representatives of Alpha MBM Investments LLC.

During the meeting, Uganda and the investors signed key agreements paving the way for the development of the refinery, marking a significant milestone in the country’s oil and gas sector.

Ruto said Kenya intends to take an equity stake in the refinery, joining the UAE investors and the Uganda National Oil Company, which represents the Ugandan government in the project.

The move is aimed at strengthening regional energy security and ensuring Kenya benefits from downstream petroleum developments in the region.

Under the existing arrangement signed in 2025, Alpha MBM holds a majority 60 percent stake in the refinery, while Uganda retains 40 percent through its national oil company. The entry of Kenya would further broaden the ownership structure and deepen East African cooperation in the oil and gas sector.

The refinery is part of Uganda’s broader strategy to maximize value from its estimated 6.5 billion barrels of crude oil reserves and transition from exporting raw crude to producing refined petroleum products locally.

Officials say the facility will supply fuel to Uganda and neighboring markets, including Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Ruto’s announcement underscores growing energy integration between Uganda and Kenya, which have in recent months strengthened ties through joint investments in infrastructure such as pipelines and fuel supply chains.

Uganda has already acquired a significant stake in Kenya’s pipeline system, reflecting increasing interdependence in the region’s petroleum sector.

Analysts say Kenya’s planned investment in the refinery could help secure stable fuel supplies for the region while reducing reliance on imports and global market volatility. It also positions Nairobi to benefit from Uganda’s emerging oil industry, especially as first oil production draws closer.

Construction of the refinery is expected to take several years, with operations projected to begin around the end of the decade.

Once completed, the facility is anticipated to play a central role in transforming Uganda into a regional petroleum hub and boosting industrialization across East Africa.

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Mr. Terraz, who has been visiting the oil exploration sites under the Tilenga project, briefed President Museveni on the progress of the project and also solicited for more support to ensure the success of the operations.

“I visited the sites at Tilenga and the pipeline. The drilling and pipeline activities are going on very well,” he said.

Terraz also informed the President that the oil project now employs over 8,000 Ugandans.

President Museveni welcomed Mr. Terraz to Uganda and assured him of the government’s support to ensure the project yields positive results.

Terraz was accompanied by Mr. Mike Sangster, the Senior Vice President Africa-Total Energies, Mr. Philippe Groueix, General Manager TotalEnergies EP Uganda, Mr. Martin Tiffen, Managing Director- East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) and Ms. Mariam Nampeera, the Deputy General Manager Total Energies EP Uganda.

The meeting was also attended by the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Hon. Ruth Nankabirwa, the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Hon. Matia Kasaijja and officials from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development.

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This is contained in a research report released November 7, 2023 by Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO).

According to AFIEGO, the research was conducted between April and November 2023. Two hundred and thirty-seven (237) respondents from 31 villages, 16 sub-counties and six of the 10 EACOP-affected districts in Uganda participated in the research.

The participants were drawn from districts of Hoima, Kikuube, Kakumiro, Mubende, Lwengo and Kyotera. They included EACOP project-affected persons, local council leaders, women, the elderly and cultural as well as opinion leaders.

The research assessed the impact that the EACOP project has had on the affected people’s access to land, the productivity of the replacement land that the affected people acquired after being displaced for the EACOP and the changes in income the affected people experienced after being displaced for the EACOP.

The research also assessed whether the EACOP had enhanced the affected people’s access to social services such as schools, health centres and cleans water among others. The EACOP-affected people’s access to employment opportunities in the oil and gas sector was also assessed among others.

The Chief Executive Officer of AFIEGO, Dickens Kamugisha, argues that the Ugandan government and other promoters of the oil and gas industry in Africa have made arguments that the industry is needed to promote socio-economic growth; however, this has not been the case.

“Our research shows that instead of improving the socioeconomic conditions of the affected people, the EACOP led to a regression in the affected people’s lives,” he said.

The latest developments come on the heels of the country announcing that civil works for the EACOP had already commenced ahead of the 2025 commercial production of oil.

“We hope that the Ugandan government and other stakeholders will use this study, and others that highlight the impact of the oil and gas sector on the affected people, to promote better investment choices. It is best to invest in sectors that have a positive socio-economic impact on Ugandans,” Kamugisha added.

Uganda intends to use the EACOP to transport crude oil from the Albertine region to the Tanzanian port of Tanga.

Amina Acola, a lawyer, says the study showed that the EACOP project developers have contravened various rights that the affected people should have enjoyed as guaranteed under Uganda’s Constitution.

“Among others, the affected people’s property rights and their right to make a living were negatively impacted by the project. CSOs can support the affected people to seek justice through litigation among others,” Acola said.

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