The Uganda Petroleum Authority (UPA) has assured Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee that Uganda’s first oil is expected by the end of July 2026.
This was revealed by the Director of Economics and Content Monitoring at the authority, Penina Aheebwa, while appearing before the committee chaired by Gorreth Namugga.
Aheebwa said the drilling of oil wells at the Tilenga Project and Kingfisher Project is progressing well and remains on schedule.
She noted that the projects have already surpassed their initial drilling targets, with 198 wells drilled under the Tilenga project compared to the planned 170, and 21 wells drilled at the Kingfisher project against the planned 19.
Aheebwa added that overall project progress is nearing completion, with Tilenga currently at 67 percent, Kingfisher at 77 percent, and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline standing at 81 percent.
On recoverable costs, she revealed that Uganda has so far recovered about 10 trillion shillings, according to audits conducted by the Office of the Auditor General in 2019 and 2021.
By Francis Lubega
11th Mar 2026
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