Posted on :Friday , 24th February 2023

Kenya is exploring the feasibility of constructing a gas pipeline linking Tanzania’s major coastal city of Dar es Salaam to Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa and later extending it to Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, Africanews reported in October 2022.

According to Kenya’s new president Dr. William Ruto, the prospective 600km pipeline, estimated to cost $1.1 billion, would help reduce the country’s soaring energy costs.

President Ruto announced the details of the Kenya-Tanzania gas pipeline shortly after holding talks with Tanzania’s president Samia Suluhu on October 10, 2022, a few weeks after Ruto took office. Ruto said the gas imports through the pipeline would help reduce energy costs for domestic and industrial use.

In May 2021, Kenya’s retired president Uhuru Kenyatta signed a preliminary agreement with Tanzania’s president Samia Suluhu to import gas from Tanzania for power generation, cooking, and heating.

The anticipated pipeline project is part of a long-term plan to develop infrastructure between the 2 East African neighbours. Meanwhile, it’s not yet clear when the pipeline construction will begin.