Uganda, Kenya court dispute to be resolved in one week - Minister Nankabirwa

Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Hon Ruth Nankabirwa announced that the court case filed against Kenya before the East African Court of Justice for blocking its petroleum imports, will soon be resolved.

“I want to assure Ugandans that that dispute will be resolved in the next week or two,” Nankabirwa said.

The Minister made the announcement shortly after a meeting between Presidents Yoweri Museveni and William Ruto at the former’s Kisozi ranch.

President Ruto announced on X after the meeting that the issue of fuel importation had been discussed and resolved.

“I am glad that the issues affecting the flow of petroleum products between Kenya and Uganda are being resolved,” he said.

“We have agreed on a way forward of sourcing and scheduling imports for the region in a manner that will ensure we achieve the most competitive pricing and maximum logistical efficiency.”

Minister Nankabirwa, who was part of the meeting, told reporters the following day that Kenya overstepped its bounds by blocking goods to a land-locked country.

“The whole world knows that you cannot lock out a land-locked country from accessing a port. That is against international laws,” she said.

“All we want is to just bring in our fuel through Kenya, and we pay them. That's all we want and that's what we are pursuing.”

Uganda rushed to the regional court in December last year, weeks after the eastern neighbour declined to issue Uganda National Oil Corporation (UNOC) with a licence to operate as a local oil marketer in a bid to buy fuel directly from producers.