Uganda and Tanzania have signed an agreement to explore the Tanga route for crude oil export from Hoima in Uganda.
If plans go to fruition, it will be a major blow to Kenya’s Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) corridor project. Kenya was hoping to piggyback on this proposed infrastructure to export the Turkana oil reserve.
The Hoima-Lokichar-Lamu route passes through the volatile northern Kenya. These are areas suspected to be vulnerable to attacks by bandits or Islamist militants. This seems to be the main concern to Uganda and has prompted them to consider the route traversing Tanzania to Tanga Port in the Indian Ocean.
Uganda has diplomatically stated that they are simply evaluating the least-cost pipeline route through the East African coast, but in the real sense, security may be their major concern.
The southern Tanga route has also been projected to be cheaper.
– – –
Update October 2015:
Reuters Total says Kenya security important in Uganda pipeline decision
Kenya's Energy Future 