The Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) has recently registered a branch in Kenya to comply with regulations for importing petroleum products, the company said Tuesday.
UNOC used a certificate of incorporation from Uganda to establish the Kenyan branch, a common practice for companies operating across countries. UNOC said this will not affect its shareholders, board of directors or oversight operations in Uganda.
The Kenya branch comes as Uganda’s government pushes UNOC to take a bigger role securing petroleum supplies by mandating the company to source and supply oil to licensed marketing companies in the country.
This strategic decision by the Ugandan government led to proposing the Petroleum Supply (Amendment) Bill earlier this year. The bill, currently before Parliament, would amend the country’s 2003 Petroleum Supply Act to expand UNOC’s responsibilities.
“The decision necessitated the amendment of the Petroleum Supply Act, 2003 through the Petroleum Supply (Amendment) Bill, 2023. The Bill has since been tabled before Parliament. Parliament’s Environment & Natural Resources Committee is scrutinising it,” the UNOC statement said.
UNOC said it remains committed to transparency, following laws and regulations, while also protecting Uganda’s commercial interests in oil and gas.
The company’s head of corporate affairs, Sarah Birungi Banage, said UNOC will provide more information as needed.
