After talks by Uganda and Tanzania to run a pipeline through Kenya collapsed last week, the country has decided to construct its own pipeline to transport crude oil.

According to Energy Cabinet Secretary Charles Keter (photo), this planned oil pipeline from Lokichar to Lamu via Isiolo will be completed by Q2 of 2021, and will cost Kenya $4.2 billion.

He noted that the choice made by Uganda to construct the oil pipeline from Hoima via Tanga in Tanzania might have been as a result of Kenya's inability to develop the Lamu Port, South Sudan, Ethiopia Transport (Lapsett) corridor which shutdown in December 2015.

“I cannot deny that we delayed in doing the Lamu port which should have been done a long time ago. Lapsett had died until December when President Uhuru Kenyatta went there and saw the need to revive it. We now have Sh5 billion allocated in the in mini budget to revive it. If we had done the Lamu port and the road network, may be it would have helped Uganda to make the decision to transport its crude oil through Kenya,” he said.

Keter added that he regretted that Kenya was excluded from the discussions between Tanzania and Uganda's energy ministries.

Kenya is currently planing to convey around 2,000 bopd by road from Lokichar to Eldoret and afterwards, use the railway to Mombasa even though it is building a new pipeline along the Northern route to Lamu.

“Going forward, our early pilot scheme includes the ongoing road-rail and pipeline-rail,” Keter told Business Daily Africa.

Anita Fatunji