East Africa

East Africa

Details: East Africa; 06 February 2023; 874

By Nangayi Guyson
Kampala-The Ugandan government said on January 4, 2023, the east African nation will start producing crude oil from its oil fields starting 2025.

President Yoweri Museveni said this while launching the commencement of well drilling activities at the Kingfisher oil fields in western Uganda.

The Kingfisher Project, according to the president, shows that "Africa is more in control of its own destiny and does not rely on other countries to advance its economic development."

Drilling of the over 400 wells needed to develop and exploit the oil resource in the Lake Albert Rift Basin began on this day. There will be 31 of these in the Kingfisher oil field, with the deepest well measuring 7.4 kilometers.

There are thought to be 560 million barrels of oil in the field overall, of which 190 million barrels (or 33%) are anticipated to be produced over the course of 20–25 years.

For the following three to four years of development, drilling will take place.
Along with the construction of other infrastructure, this will be carried out.

The oil will be transported from Chongoleani, Tanga in Tanzania to Kabaale, Hoima in Uganda via the EACOP pipeline, which is currently being completed.

The Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) ED Ernest Rubondo congratulated CNOOC International, one of the country's largest oil and gas companies, as well as joint venture partners Total EnergiesUG (Total) and Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC), for reaching the milestone on the road to the country's first oil production.

Less than a year following the announcement of FID, the business is currently starting the drilling of production wells, according to Rubondo.

"Your Excellency, the drilling rig you just turned on will be used to drill all 31 production wells that this oil field has planned. While 11 of these wells will be used to inject water into the reservoir to aid increase production, 20 of these wells will be used to generate oil, according to Rubondo.

The brand-new, cutting-edge apparatus was created especially for this field.
With over 8000 horsepower and using 6 megawatts of power, it is the strongest device now in use in the nation.

Throughout the next three years, up until just before production begins, and up to US$1.63 billion over the remaining 20 years of the oil field's life, investments in development of the Kingfisher oilfield are anticipated to total over US$ 2 billion.

The Kingfisher project received US$ 346 million in investment in 2022, increasing the project's total cumulative investment to US$ 1.07 billion.
In 2023, KFDA is anticipated to receive investments totaling $580 million.

At the present price of oil, which is around $87.5 per barrel, the Kingfisher project will contribute around 15% of the government's overall upstream oil earnings, or $6.9 billion in total and $360 million annually.

The Kingfisher oil field is located about 2 km below Lake Albert and is roughly 15 km long and 3 km broad.

For the first five years, the oil field is predicted to produce a maximum of 40,000 barrels per day before production starts to fall.

Development wells, water injection wells, and production wells are a few of the wells that are being launched.
Before the start of first oil production in 2025, eight wells are anticipated to be drilled. The remaining wells will be drilled as production moves forward.

Well drilling aids in gathering more information and testing reservoirs for optimal and efficient output.

According to Martin Tiffen, MD of EACOP Ltd., "this is a significant milestone and an essential step forward for EACOP as it symbolizes progress towards the beginning of our construction activities and the ensuing delivery of first oil in Uganda."

Martin Tiffen remarked, "We are grateful to for the speedy delivery of the license in accordance with the Host Government Agreement's (HGA) pledge and for the ongoing support for the seamless implementation of EACOP activities."

There is enthusiasm among some Ugandans following the commissioning of the drilling rig for the Kingfisher Development Project (KDF). Some believe that oil production should start soon. Some have questioned why CNOOC will start drilling when the refinery intended to refine crude oil from the King Fisher and Tilenga projects has not yet started construction.

Similarly, when the East African Petroleum Oil Pipeline, which was supposed to export crude to the global market, has not started operating. Others have questioned what will happen to the crude oil if the pipeline and refinery, the two commercialization projects, are not built.

According to Executive Director of the Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) Rubondo, drilling of the production wells must be done in advance in order to generate the quantities anticipated from the Kingfisher and Tilenga projects.
To produce those volumes, several wells must be in operation.
Therefore, you must begin drilling these wells right away.

In order to start having production from the various wells when the day of production arrives. So, in accordance with Rubondo, the drilling that has been authorized is for the Kingfisher field's initial oil production well.

The CNOOC investment in Uganda's oil reserves, according to Chinese Ambassador to Uganda Zhang Lizhong, is China's largest investment in Uganda.
Zhang expressed confidence that the investment will improve Ugandans' quality of life.

The firm is dedicated to making sure that skills, knowledge, and technology are transferred to Ugandans, according to Chen Zhuobiao, president of CNOOC Uganda.
According to Chen, the corporation would, among other things, award contracts to local businesses to ensure that the local population gains from the oil.

He reaffirmed that the CNOOC would uphold strict environmental protection requirements going forward.

The Kingfisher Oil Development area in the Kikuube district will have its oil waste managed by the Uganda People's Defence Forces through the National Enterprise Corporation.

END

Details: East Africa; 05 February 2023; 623

Wiper Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka addressing Kenyans during a past event. TWITTER KALONZO MUSYOKA

Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka cautioned former President Uhuru Kenyatta of accepting scaled-down security from the government.

Kalonzo made those remarks while attending the Azimio rally at Kamukunji Grounds in Kibera, Nairobi on Sunday, February 5.

Giving out his reasons, Kalonzo revealed the loyalty of the new officers could not be ascertained.

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta alongside his security detail at a past event in 2020. PSCU

“The government is saying that they have scaled down Uhuru’s security, they are even exaggerating the number of police officers assigned to the former president.

“When Raila and I were out of government, I got my own private security and I urge the former president to do the same,” he told a charged ground.

The former Vice President remarked that it is not easy to trust a driver or bodyguard you have not vetted.

“You cannot wake up one day and be given a new driver whom you know nothing about, Uhuru should be careful,” the former Vice President opined.

On February 3, Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome addressed the issue of scaling down the security detail of Uhuru and former cabinet secretaries.

The Inspector General assured Kenyans that there was no cause for alarm as the restructuring process was a routine National Police Service (NPS) exercise.

"Once the president has retired, the commander is a superintendent of police.

"An officer who was of the rank of an assistant Inspector General was with the retired president making him be reporting to another assistant Inspector General," Inspector General Koome explained what necessitated the changes.

Uhuru is entitled to a lifetime of security, having served as the country’s fourth president from 2013 to 2022.

According to the Presidential Retirement Act of 2003, former heads of state are entitled to a maximum of six officers to provide them with round-the-clock security.

Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome FILE

Details: East Africa; 05 February 2023; 864

Pope Francis blesses President of South Sudan Salva Kiir during a holy mass at the John Garang Mausoleum in Juba, South Sudan, on Sunday. Pope Francis is on a three-day visit to South Sudan to promote peace and reconciliation in the world's youngest country, riven by the scars of civil war and extreme poverty. Photo by Vatican Media/EPA-EFE

Pope Francis ended his six-day trip to Africa on Sunday by delivering mass to an estimated 100,000 people gathered in the South Sudan city of Juba as he urged for peace in the country.

Francis, who spent last week in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, departed from Juba's International Airport on his papal plane around 11:56 a.m. to return to Rome, according to Vatican News -- the news agency operated by the Holy See.

The pope in his message to those gathered in Juba urged for peace in South Sudan "and in the entire African continent, where so many of our brothers and sisters in the faith experience persecution and danger, where great numbers of people suffer from conflict exploitation, exploitation, and poverty."

Francis also urged people in the country to reject what he called the "venom of hatred" while telling the country's leaders to focus on ending conflict, the BBC reported.

Sudan, which once also included South Sudan, was essentially governed by British colonial rule via a governor-general appointed by Egypt until 1956.

British colonial forces largely maintained a policy of treating the northern and southern parts of the country as two separate territories, focusing on developing the Arab northern region while neglecting the southern region.

As a result of the colonial rule and its new independence, Sudan suffered through a couple of coups and civil war over the next 20 years between the country's north and south regions. That civil war ended with the establishment of South Sudan as an autonomous region of Sudan.

Eventually, control of the country was seized by dictator Omar al-Bashir in another military coup in 1989 amid a second civil war in Sudan which began in the southern region.

Al-Bashir suspended political parties in the country and introduced an Islamic legal code at the federal level while imprisoning political opposition and journalists.

The second civil war ended in 2005 but South Sudan ultimately gained its independence from Sudan and became a sovereign nation in 2011 after a referendum.

South Sudan was plagued with its own civil war from 2013 to 2020 after a fallout between the country's president and his then-vice president.

The pope ended his message to South Sudan with encouragement to "never lose hope and lose no opportunity to build peace," a similar message he delivered to the Democratic Republic of Congo which has endured its own conflicts in past decades. By Adam Schrader, UPI

Details: East Africa; 05 February 2023; 1213

Safina party leader Jimi Wanjigi. Image: FILE

"Hamutatatua mkitafuta mali ya Jomo Kenyatta. That one we will not allow," he said.

In Summary

Wanjigi said if the Kenya Kwanza regime has a bone to settle with former President Uhuru Kenyatta, it should focus on him alone.
On Saturday, Mama Ngina fired back at the state over the allegations that she has been absconding taxes.

President William Ruto has continued to come under criticism over his resolved to take on the former first family head on over taxes.

Safina leader Jimmy Wanjigi is the latest to ask the president to steer clear of any clash with the Kenyatta family whom he has insinuated to be tax cheats.

Speaking on Sunday at Power of Faith Church International in Kiambu, the former presidential candidate warned the government to leave Mzee Jomo Kenyatta's property alone saying saying targeting it won't help the government.

"Hamutatatua mkitafuta mali ya Jomo Kenyatta. That one we will not allow," he said.

Wanjigi said if the Kenya Kwanza regime has a bone to settle with former President Uhuru Kenyatta, it should focus on him alone.

While making reference to the scriptures on the plight of widows and orphans, Wanjigi said Mzee Jomo Kenyatta's family should not be attacked.

"Why are you targeting Mama Ngina? Now you are crossing the line because if you are after his property, who are we?" he asked.

On Saturday, Mama Ngina fired back at the state over the allegations that she has been absconding taxes.

While speaking at a church in Lamu county, the former first lady said the due process of the law should be followed in addressing the matter rather than soiling people's names.

"There is no need of spoiling my name and that of others so that you can be seen to be working. Let those accused be taken to court and pay what he or she is supposed to pay," she said.

She went on to dare the state to auction her properties in the event she is discovered to have failed to meet her tax obligation.

Mama Ngina said the attacks meted out on her family are unfair and false further challenging the state to come clean on the issue instead of politicking.

"It is not true that I have not paid tax and people know they are not saying the truth," she said. By SHARON MWENDE, The Star

Details: East Africa; 04 February 2023; 854

President Paul Kagame arriving in Bujumbura to join other Heads of State of the EAC for a meeting to evaluate the security situation in eastern DR Congo on Saturday, February 4. Photos by Urugwiro Village

President Paul Kagame on Saturday, February 4, arrived in Bujumbura, Burundi, to join other Heads of State of the East African Community who are meeting there to evaluate the security situation in eastern DR Congo, where the bloc deployed a joint force in November 2022.

The leaders will be hosted by President Evariste Ndayishimiye, who is also the chair of the EAC. The 20th Extra-Ordinary Summit of Heads of State comes at a time when the volatile security situation in North Kivu province, where government forces face M23 rebels, is sharply deteriorating.

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It follows an urgent meeting between EAC technical advisors and Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenya’s former president and the facilitator of the EAC-led peace process for eastern DR Congo.

ALSO READ: Rwandan officers deported from DR Congo enjoyed immunity - EAC chief

The leaders will also discuss the way forward for the situation, the EAC secretariat tweeted on Friday.

ALSO READ: Biruta, US Deputy Secretary of State discuss DR Congo situation

The Congolese government has been in the spotlight recently, due to its unilateral decision to deport three Rwandan military officers who were serving the regional force.

On February 1, the EAC secretary general Peter Mathuki wrote to the Congolese prime minister Christophe Lutundula, seeking clarification on the deportation of officers, who enjoyed immunity.

ALSO READ: DR Congo ignored Luanda agreement – Minister Biruta

Kinshasa also faces accusations of abandoning the Luanda agreement, which called for the disarmament of militias like the FDLR, among other things.

It is understood the M23 rebels are the only party that has begun implementing the Luanda agreement, with a gradual withdrawal.

ALSO READ: UN urges restraint over Rwanda-DR Congo tensions

Tensions between DR Congo and Rwanda have also risen, following the violation of Rwandan airspace by a Congolese warplane, the third such incursion in three months.