Kenya and Ethiopia have signed a deal for an oil pipeline that will run from Addis Ababa to the port of Lamu under the The Lamu Port Southern Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (Lapsset) project.

Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn signed the pact during bilateral talks at State House, Nairobi.

At a joint press conference that followed the talks, Uhuru said Kenya is working closely with Ethiopia on the Lapsset project without revealing much detail about the project.

Kenya intended to build the pipeline with Uganda but President Yoweri Museveni opted for an agreement with Tanzania.

Uganda changed tack in March saying it was planning a pipeline from Hoima to Tanga on Tanzania’s coast, prompting a last-minute push by Kenya for another switch.

Kenyatta told reporters that the construction of Lapsset-related facilities will be “fast-tracked.”

These facilities according to Daily Nation Newspaper include linking roads between the two countries, an international airport in Isiolo town and a sea port in Lamu.

Watch Excerpts of Joint Presser From KTN