Rwanda fuel transit through Kenya set to rise
Business
By
Willis Oketch and Joackim Bwana
| Oct 01, 2026
MT Sea Wolf with 40,000 metric tonnes of petroleum from Sultan Oman docks at the Port of Mombasa on September 29, 2026. [Joackim Bwana, Standard]
Rwanda has received its first consignment of 40,000 metric tonnes of refined petroleum products through the Northern Corridor, marking the activation of a new import route designed to improve fuel supplies to the landlocked country.
The shipment arrived at the Port of Mombasa following an agreement signed by Kenya and Rwanda in June to establish the new petroleum supply route and facilitate more efficient movement of fuel to Rwanda.
The consignment, which docked at Mombasa port aboard MT Sea Wolf, was received at the Kenya Pipeline Company’s Kipevu Oil Terminal 2 by Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi, who assured the Rwandan government of Kenya's commitment to provide Rwanda with access to global energy markets through the Northern Corridor.
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"Kenya has positioned itself as a major regional logistics and energy transit hub,” said Opiyo.
The cargo comprises petrol and diesel and is equivalent to close to a month of Rwanda’s consumption.
Opiyo said the arrival of the cargo at the Mombasa port marks the implementation of an agreement signed by the two countries in June to facilitate bulk petroleum imports for Rwanda through Kenya.
The framework is expected to increase the volume of petroleum products transported through the corridor to Rwanda to tenfold in the coming years, positioning Kenya as a major regional logistics and energy transit hub.
The arrangement covers the transportation, storage, scheduling and handling of Rwanda-bound petroleum products through Kenya’s port and pipeline infrastructure.
Kenya Pipeline Company's acting managing director Pius Mwendwa said, under the agreement, Rwanda-bound volumes through Kenya are expected to rise from approximately 60,000 cubic metres annually to 600,000 cubic metres, a tenfold increase.
He explained that the development represents a significant expansion of its regional petroleum transit business, which covers a 1,342-kilometre pipeline network capable of moving about 14 billion litres of petroleum products annually, alongside 1.138 billion litres of storage capacity.
Mwendwa said the company also operates the Kisumu Oil Jetty, which provides a water route for petroleum products destined for Rwanda through the region.
"KPC's existing investments in storage, loading facilities and pipeline capacity are intended to accommodate the additional Rwanda-bound volumes without compromising supplies to Kenya and the wider region," Mwendwa noted.
Rwanda's Minister of Infrastructure Armand Zingiro, said the new route is aimed at diversifying Rwanda's petroleum supply channels and strengthening the country's energy security.
Rwanda, as a land-locked country, imports all its petroleum products. Zingiro said recent disruptions in global shipping and market volatility had highlighted the need for alternative import routes and stronger regional partnerships.
He added that extended storage arrangements at Kipevu would give Rwanda greater flexibility as it expands domestic storage capacity.
The development also deepens Rwanda's economic involvement in Kenya's petroleum infrastructure. Rwanda has invested in KPC following its listing on the Nairobi Securities Exchange, further linking the two countries' energy sectors.
Kenya Ports Authority managing director William Ruto said Kipevu Oil Terminal 2 can handle four vessels simultaneously.
“The terminal, commissioned in 2022 at a cost of about Sh40 billion, is now handling three vessels carrying petroleum products for Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda,” said Ruto.
The MD says the expanded capacity reduces vessel waiting time and the cost of doing business.