Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda’s anticipated June/July oil production timeline goes thru uncertainty due to delays in serious emergency preparedness infrastructure. No matter assurances from authorities and oil corporations that first oil will waft by mid-365 days — with revenues expected by the pause of the 365 days or in 2027 — a key safety system remains considerably within the support of agenda.
Progress on the Nationwide Oil Spill Response and Monitoring Infrastructure Mission, which is supposed to pork up the country’s preparedness for oil spill emergencies, has stalled due to insufficient funding. Per the 2025 sage by the Space of job of the Auditor Overall, most efficient UGX 1.2 billion has been released out of the fundamental UGX 59.9 billion between the monetary years 2022/23 and 2024/25.
Auditor Overall Edward Akol warned that failure to attach serious project milestones poses severe dangers to the 2026 First Oil goal, while the absence of a useful emergency response functionality exposes the country to environmental and safety threats. Uganda’s oil wells will be found stop to water our bodies, making spill prevention an fundamental. Moreover, the export pipeline — though largely buried — will stretch roughly 1,440 kilometres across inhabited communities, farmland, grazing areas, and appropriate ecosystems.
The sector is regulated by the Petroleum Authority of Uganda, which is overseeing traits alongside the Ministry of Vitality and Mineral Construction. PAU says this may perhaps additionally impartial proceed difficult the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Construction, and the Ministry of Vitality to real funding for the project.
Several milestones are additionally required to fulfill the 2026 production goal, including readiness of the Tilenga and Kingfisher fields, as successfully because the East African Uncouth Oil Pipeline. A assessment of monitoring reports for June 2025 confirmed total completion charges lagging within the support of targets — 57 percent for Tilenga against 73.2 percent planned, 69.6 percent for Kingfisher against 73.2 percent, and 62.5 percent for EACOP against 72 percent.
By November 2025, on the opposite hand, development had improved to 60 percent for Tilenga, 74 percent for Kingfisher — with all wells for first oil already drilled — and 75 percent for the export pipeline. Administration attributed the gains to measures reminiscent of pre-commissioning tests, increased work shifts, and the institution of an inter-ministerial committee to fleet-monitor implementation.
Meanwhile, CNOOC reported in September 2025 that its Kingfisher project used to be 95 percent total, with all stimulations done and heading within the correct route for production. The company additionally indicated readiness thru an Oil Spill Contingency Conception aimed at conserving water effective and biodiversity within the ecologically gorgeous Albertine space. Nonetheless, the Auditor Overall emphasised the need for urgent funding to operationalise serious infrastructure such because the Exact-Time Monitoring Centre and Catastrophe Restoration Machine.
Even though the project obtained UGX 446 million within the 2024/25 monetary 365 days — which used to be fully utilised — funding remained insufficient, leading to most efficient five out of ten planned surveillance instrument objects being procured. Some development has been recorded in other areas, including catastrophe recovery planning, oil spill drills, and beauty of an Oil Spill Instruments Hub thru the Oil Spill Mutual Assist Group.
The Ministry of Finance has proposed declaring the project finances at UGX 446 million this monetary 365 days, with projections rising to UGX 2 billion yearly in 2026/27 and 2027/28. Experts warn that with out a fully useful spill response system, ability oil leaks may perhaps well contaminate drinking water sources, damage fisheries, damage tourism, and degrade fragile ecosystems.
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