Raila tells off Museveni over disputed island

Opposition leader Raila Odinga has told Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to stop harassing Kenyan fishermen in the waters of Lake Victoria.

Raila stated that Kenyan fishermen belong to the East African community trading block and the fish in Lake Victoria have no boundaries as they cannot tell which waters they belong to.

“How are Museveni and his security officers harassing Kenyan fishermen [claiming] that they are encroaching their waters when one cannot identify which fish is from the Ugandan waters or the Kenyan waters?” Raila said during a boat racing competition at Siungu beach in Bondo constituency.

East African Integration

He challenged President Museveni’s to uphold the spirit of East African integration and ensure peaceful coexistence between Kenyans and Ugandans.

“How is Museveni justifying that all fishes caught at the border line of Uganda and Kenya are from Uganda, what if those fish are bred in Kenya and only cross over to feed?,” he said.

Raila said good working relations between neighbouring countries will boost the economy and improve foreign exchange.

Faulted custom departments

He also took issue with the customs departments, both on the Kenyan and the Ugandan sides, for allegedly imposing hefty penalties and fines on those who are accused of encroaching into the other’s territory.

In March this year, Raila threatened to marshal the opposition to reclaim the disputed Migingo Island if the government does not take action.

He said that since President Uhuru Kenyatta has demonstrated failure to repossess the island from Uganda, the opposition will make sure Kenya takes over the Island in Lake Victoria.

Earlier this year, Ugandan security officers stopped a voter registration exercise saying IEBC officials went to the Island without their knowledge, and while aware the ownership of the island is still in dispute.

Two Independent Electoral and Boundary Commission clerks were arrested and their equipment confiscated as they registered Kenyans.