Uhuru Fails to Agree With Museveni

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday failed to reach a substantial agreement with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in regard to the construction of a pipeline route.

The meeting did not yield, prompting Kenyatta and his Ugandan counterpart opting to leave the contentious issues to be discussed by their technical officials, ahead of a meeting in Kampala when they will revisit the matter.

The two Heads of State had their team of technocrats present in the meeting held at State House Nairobi, where presentations were carried out, to draw on how the project would be done.

“The two leaders heard technical presentations by Kenyan and Ugandan energy officials on options to construct the pipeline from Hoima on Lake Albert through Kenyan 'nothern route' through the oil fields of Lokichar; the Kenyan 'southern route' through the town of Nakuru, with a loop to Loichar; as well as a route from Hoima to Tanga in Tanzania,” read a joint statement, which was signed by Energy CS Charles Keter.

The meeting's agenda, among other things, was to weigh on the least-cost option of the project and addressing the constructability issues along all the proposed routes.

The two leaders were also to confirm on the current proven reserves which would have an impact on the size of the pipeline.

The talks also focused on determining the viability of the ports of Lamu, Mombasa and Tanga as the potential export options as indicated in the joint resolutions.

The Ugandan President had flown into the country to meet Kenyatta over growing discontent after it emerged that Uganda had reportedly altered their initial plan to have the regional integrated pipeline pass through Kenya to Tanzania

Read Also: Uhuru's Deal on Uganda Sugar Imports Puts Mumias on a Difficult Spot