The governments of Kenya and Rwanda have officially signed three landmark Import Framework Agreements. The deal fully opens the Northern Corridor for Rwanda’s bulk refined petroleum imports under a Government-to-Government (G2G) arrangement.
The signing ceremony, held at the KASNEB Tower in Nairobi, marks the culmination of bilateral talks that began in Kigali in November 2024 and received final ratification from Kenya’s Cabinet on June 16, 2026.
The legal and commercial architecture relies on three foundational pillars: a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), a Tripartite Agreement (TPA), and a Transport and Storage Agreement (TSA).
The primary objective of this G2G framework is to radically scale up trading volumes. Currently, Rwanda’s petroleum import volumes through the Northern Corridor sit at a modest 42,000 cubic metres (2025 data). Under the new agreement, that figure is projected to skyrocket to an annual throughput of over 500,000 cubic metres, a more than tenfold increase.
The maiden cargo under this framework, designated RNEC 001/2026, is already scheduled to arrive at the Port of Mombasa between September 4 and 6, 2026.
Speaking at the event, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum, Hon. Opiyo Wandayi (EGH), emphasized that the agreement transcends standard commercial legalities: “What we are signing today is not just a legal framework but a commitment… Kenya will provide a transit environment to guarantee security of supply of bulk refined petroleum products to Rwanda for the long haul. The numbers are not the endgame; what this represents for our two great nations is deeper economic integration that will serve the East African Community and the Great Lakes Region for several decades to come.”
Rwanda’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Hon. Antoine-Marie Kajangwe, echoed these sentiments, highlighting the foundational trust between the two nations: “Today marks a turning point for Rwanda’s energy future. These agreements are the product of trust—trust between our two governments, trust between our institutions, and trust between our people. Rwanda is proud to deepen this partnership and to stand alongside Kenya as we write a new chapter in East African energy cooperation.”
For the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) PLC, this agreement represents the victory of a decade-long campaign to win back the Rwandan energy market. Historically, KPC supplied less than 10% of Rwanda’s market demands.
To ensure the partnership starts on solid economic footing, KPC’s Board approved a major commercial concession: extending the free petroleum storage period for PMS (petrol) and AGO (diesel) product grades from 35 days to 90 days for Rwanda-bound cargoes during an initial two-year window.
To back up its supply guarantees, KPC is leveraging an extensive logistics network:
- 1.13 billion litres of total petroleum storage capacity.
- 1,342 kilometres of interconnected pipeline infrastructure across Kenya.
- A marine loading facility at the Kisumu Oil Jetty on Lake Victoria.
- The Eldoret–Kampala pipeline corridor, with future blueprints aiming to extend directly to Kigali.
The final regulatory pieces of the puzzle are already in place. The Rwanda National Energy Company (RNEC) has formally registered in Kenya and secured the necessary licenses from the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) to import, export, and wholesale petroleum products.
RNEC is expected to eventually extend its petroleum supply chain from Kenya into neighboring landlocked markets.