17/08/2026
UNOC boosts Jinja’s economy as hundreds of fuel trucks converge on the city’s key storage terminal daily.
The Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) is playing a central role in revitalizing Jinja’s local economy through its management of the Jinja Storage Terminal (JST), a 30-million-litre refined petroleum products facility that has become a major logistics hub. Hundreds of fuel trucks now regularly arrive in Jinja to load or deliver petrol, diesel, and other products, creating steady demand for transport, hospitality, retail, and support services in the city.
UNOC fully took over operations of the terminal (originally established in the 1970s as a strategic reserve) and has since positioned it as a bonded storage site that provides “hospitality” storage for oil marketing companies while also holding government strategic stocks. As Uganda’s sole importer of petroleum products under its arrangement with Vitol, UNOC channels large volumes, averaging around 230 to 240 million litres per month nationall through facilities including Jinja.
Trucks arriving from the Kenyan and Tanzanian corridors (and increasingly from other routes) pick up product for distribution across Uganda, keeping the terminal a constant hub of activity.
Recent infrastructure improvements have amplified this economic ripple effect. In August 2026, UNOC, in partnership with TotalEnergies and Vivo Energy, commissioned a Shs1.37 billion upgrade of a section of Mutibwa (Mutiibwa) Road leading to the terminal. The previous poor surface and flooding during rainy seasons had forced trucks to wait roadside; the improved access now supports safer, more efficient movement of heavy fuel tankers and benefits the wider industrial and commercial corridor in Jinja City. UNOC CEO Proscovia Nabbanja has noted that such investments not only ease petroleum logistics as national demand grows but also contribute to broader urban transformation, local employment, and business opportunities.
Beyond truck traffic, the terminal’s operations generate secondary economic activity: drivers and crews spend on fuel, meals, lodging, and repairs; related logistics and service businesses expand; and the reliable fuel supply stabilizes transport costs for goods and people in and around the region. Plans to expand JST capacity (adding a further 10 million litres to reach 40 million) and to develop lake transport links from Kisumu further position Jinja as a growing node in Uganda’s downstream petroleum network.
In short, UNOC’s stewardship of the Jinja terminal has transformed a strategic fuel reserve into a daily economic engine, drawing hundreds of truckers and supporting jobs, infrastructure, and commerce in the city.
