Uganda: Uganda's First Oil Delayed Yet Again, New Target Set for June 2027

What the report says

Uganda’s government has once again pushed back the start of commercial oil production, with the newest target now set for June 2027, according to reporting by The Independent in Kampala and distributed by AllAfrica. The update was presented to Parliament’s Finance Committee by Finance Minister Henry Musasizi and officials from the Petroleum Authority of Uganda, the Uganda National Oil Company, the National Planning Authority and the Uganda Revenue Authority. The revised timeline has renewed scrutiny of a long-running project whose deadlines have been shifted several times over the past two decades.

Officials told MPs that the 1,443-kilometre East African Crude Oil Pipeline is expected to be ready to receive crude by mid-December 2026. Even so, under the government’s financial-year planning, first oil is now projected before the end of June 2027. Acting Petroleum Authority head Michael Ochan said most of the pipeline has already been completed and buried, while some remaining work includes pump stations, electrical systems and related installations.

The article said Uganda’s oil timeline has repeatedly moved from earlier expectations in 2018 and 2020 to targets centered on 2025 and then 2026. The government and its oil partners reached a final investment decision in February 2022, and the delay adds to concerns about whether infrastructure and production milestones will be met on schedule. MPs pressed for a more exact start date, while officials argued that broader budget-year language is used to avoid premature commitments.

The report also noted that petroleum revenues are already flowing into the Petroleum Fund, and that Uganda National Oil Company has reported profits from fuel import operations. Those funds and earnings may matter because they are part of the wider financial case for Uganda’s delayed but still developing oil sector.