President William Ruto has defended Kenya’s government-to-government fuel importation system after renewed scrutiny of the arrangement following comments by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.
Ruto said Kenya’s system has enabled the country to receive petroleum products at competitive costs and challenged critics to compare the actual landed price of fuel imported into Kenya with that of products destined for Uganda.
Speaking in New York on Monday, September 21, 2026, Ruto said Kenya had developed a fuel importation framework that addressed the supply and foreign exchange challenges that confronted the country when his administration took office.
“We have a better model than even what Uganda is using today. Our fuel products arrive in Mombasa cheaper than the fuel products going to other countries,” Ruto said.
The President was speaking after witnessing the signing of a Joint Declaration of Intent involving the Government of Kenya, the United Nations in Kenya and Equity Group Holdings.
Ruto recalls fuel shortages
Ruto said the government inherited a difficult fuel supply situation, with petrol stations running dry as the country struggled with foreign exchange shortages.
He recalled that fuel marketers were among the first groups he engaged after taking office as the administration sought to address disruptions in petroleum supplies.
“When I came into office, the first group of people, when I was elected before even I left Canada, were going marketers. Because our fuel stations had gone dry. There was a shortage of dollars. We had a problem,” he said.
According to Ruto, the government subsequently put measures in place to address both fuel availability and the pressure on foreign exchange.
He said the current arrangement was designed to provide a more predictable system for bringing petroleum products into the country.
“We have sorted out that problem in a permanent way. Today, I can tell you with clear conviction that we have the right model of importing fuel products into Kenya,” Ruto said.
The President added that other African countries had shown interest in understanding Kenya’s approach, citing Malawi and Burundi among countries that had sought information about the system.
President challenges critics
Ruto also directly challenged those questioning the cost-effectiveness of Kenya’s fuel importation arrangement.
He asked critics to look at the landed cost of petroleum products arriving in Kenya and compare it with the cost of fuel being delivered to Uganda.
“Check the landed cost of petrol coming to Kenya and going to Uganda. Which one is cheaper? Just go check. It’s not for me to tell you. The answer is there,” he said.
The President maintained that the government had data to support its position and said the debate should be based on the actual cost of bringing fuel into the respective markets.
“We know what we are doing. We know what we are doing. So it was not a challenge. And we can prove everybody with facts, facts,” he said.
The comments come as Kenya’s G-to-G fuel arrangement faces renewed public attention following remarks by Museveni about Uganda’s previous reliance on petroleum middlemen in Kenya.
Museveni’s earlier concerns
Museveni recently said a Kenyan politician had alerted him around 2019 that Uganda was sourcing petroleum products through intermediaries in Kenya.
He said the information prompted him to instruct then Energy Minister Irene Muloni to investigate the arrangement.
Museveni later said Uganda changed its procurement approach in 2023 after entering an arrangement with Vitol, a global energy and commodities trader.
He cited reductions in the prices Uganda paid for diesel, petrol and aviation fuel under the new arrangement. Nile Post reported that Museveni attributed the change to an agreement dated August 18, 2023.
Uganda’s move to give the Uganda National Oil Company a central role in fuel imports was also reported in 2023, with the government saying the arrangement was intended to reduce costs associated with intermediaries.
The issue has since generated debate in Kenya, with questions raised about the structure of fuel imports and the role of intermediaries.
Ruto calls for a cost comparison
Ruto’s latest remarks place the focus on the cost of the two countries’ current fuel importation arrangements.
Rather than accepting comparisons based on individual components of the supply chain, the President said critics should examine the final landed cost of petroleum products.
“I want to challenge those who are telling us that there is a problem with our fuel importation, waende watuambie. Which one is better? Which one delivers our products cost-effectively?” he said.
The government has consistently presented the G-to-G arrangement as a way of improving fuel supply, managing foreign exchange pressures and reducing disruptions in the petroleum market.
The renewed debate, however, comes as Kenya and Uganda continue to adjust how they source and transport fuel in the region.
Ruto’s comments therefore put the emphasis on whether the competing systems deliver petroleum products at the lowest overall cost, a question he says should be answered using verifiable landed-cost figures rather than political arguments.
