Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda plan to jointly construct a 784km pipeline to transport refined petroleum products from Eldoret town, Kenya, to regional markets in the region.

A joint commission coordinating the project said the pipeline will extend from Eldoret to Kampala and Kigali and help serve markets in Tanzania, Burundi, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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Products currently are trucked by road and this has been blamed for damaged infrastructure and costly fuel products. The existing pipeline runs between Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa and Eldoret.

“The new pipeline will be an extension of the existing western Kenya pipeline system at Eldoret, which is owned and operated by the Kenya Pipeline Company,” the commission said on Wednesday as it called for bids for the construction of the pipeline.

It said the project will be implemented in two phases, comprising a 350km stretch between Eldoret and Kampala and a 434km pipeline linking the Ugandan capital to Kigali.

“The lot also comprises mainline pumps, intermediate pump stations and road or rail loading facilities at Mbarara and Kigali,” the commission said. It did not provide cost, but the price tag for a products pipeline between Eldoret and Kampala has previously been estimated at Sh26.5 billion.

Storage terminals will be constructed in Kampala, Mbarara and Kigali, the project team said adding that the pipeline will have a diameter of 12 inches.