Commentary by Leo Odera Omolo in Sori Karungu Bay.
Residents of the greater Southern Nyanza region believes the Government is doing very little if not only offering “lip services” as far as the recent seizure of Migingo Island is concerned.
There has been too much verbal twisting on the matter and Kenya’s sovereignty by s hostile force by a hostile neighbor.

The country has the strongest military force and it shameful that a neighboring country has arrogantly hoisted its National flag on an island which belongs to Kenya with such impunity and total disregard of the laws governing the principles and essence of good neighborliness
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To the completion of their military training careers, Kenyan soldiers usually swear an oath to defend the country’s sovereignty. Her forces are well trained in combat and perhaps the most equipped military with modern military arsenal in this region..
Kenya has a highly decorated Chief of the General Staff {CGS} complete with ultra modern Navy, Air force with the latest and most sophisticated modern combat aircraft several military and paramilitary units, which are capable of warding off any move considered as an act of aggression against the country’s sovereignty.

What is general :Lt. Gen Kianga and his men are doing when our country is being humiliated by our belligerent neighbor. Are soldiers being kept fed and paid fat salaries for conducting parades and military ceremonies only?.

One logical question may be asked as to what is the role of armed forces? Harrassing and suppressing citizen s like the forces of occupation? Truly one may be left to wonder as to how the act of aggression is classified in Kenya armed forces military terms..
In my view, excision of any part of Kenya’s land is an act of aggression. In this context Uganda has defiantly invaded part of Kenya’s sovereignty and forcefully hoisted its National flag on Migingo Island. It has immediately began illegally taxing poor Kenyan fishermen on their own motherland., Is this in itself not an act of aggression?

Our very eloquent foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetangula has treated Kenyans to a conflicting statement in circus of deceitful utterances. In one such numerous statements the Minister was quoted as demanding unconditional return of Migingo Island currently occupied by Uganda forces and declared that the Government’s patience was running out
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The Minister has categorically stated in clear term “ we will not compromise on a matter of our territorial integrity, we want Migingo and other Islands back”
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In the same context, the Minister was quoted as saying Kenya would demand the return of Migingo and other Lake Victoria Islands seized by Uganda when delegates from the two countries meet to discuss the volatile and fluid issues in Kampala with Uganda delegates this month
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Surely it makes no logic sense for a country like Kenya which is militarilystrong to gop on wagging its tail before Yoweri Museveni!! Kenyan security forces must go into action and drive out Ugandan soldiers from Migingo. A fire is stopped with fire.
Moreover this is not the first time the belligerent Ugandan Governments to have seized part of Kenyan owned Island and hoisted their National flag on it.

In 1975, the then despotic ruler of Uganda the late Idi Ami n Dada moved its forces to Sigulu Island, the largest of most of the fishing islands in Lake Victoria and seized it with impunity with all its inhabitants, who are Kenyans of Banyala, Suba and Luos and forced them to become naturalized citizens of Uganda. Sigiulu Island with its most fertile anmd arable land is very close to Port Victoria in Bunyala area of Busia district. Its residents despite having been forced to be Ugandan still maintain close contact with their cousins in Budalangi. Ever since this act of aggression involving close to 10,000m Kenyan families there has never been any single statement from Nairobi. Why ?.If it was the case of few hundred and Mau Narok areas, there could have been hullabaloo and hue. and cry. Is this because the Kikuyus are better Kenyans than Luos, Suba and Luhyias?

All the experts have stated clearly that Migingo’s military occupation by the Uganda forces was a tbreach of the East Africa Community [EAC}treaty and technically a serious violation of the spirit of good neighborliness. And President Museveni had personally sanctioned the occupation of the Kenyan fishing Island by a force of arms. Surely this is more than a declaration of war.

Why is Kenya wagging its fail before an aggressor? Is it because we are a bunch of cowards? Are we keeping more than 40,000 soldiers in Kenya Air force, crack GSU, and navy resting and eating in the barracks mainly for ceremonial performance and not to protect the country sovereignty?

By using force to occupy Migingo Island the Uganda government has already breached Articles 5 sub-section 3 of the EAC treaty that calls for strengthening and consolidation of cooperation among member states.

I am rather puzzled that the start of the dispute, when Uganda forces took over the most prized Kenya’s fishing Island the same Minister Wetangula gave an ambiguous speech calling for calm and stated that the two countries had agreed to maintain status quo’’

Surely it makes no logic for two men to maintain status quo when the other friend turned on to be an aggressor and forcefully occupied a friend’s house..

Kenya should not maintain a huge monthly wages bill paying thousands of millions of shillings paying security personnel for an army that is incapable of defending the country territorial right and sovereignty.

Must we wait until when Museveni forces invades Nairobi or part of Mt Kenya region before we could act precisely to protect our country’s sovereignty?. Surely Kenya has been reduced to a laughing stock, and militarily weak country ,which in military terms”a paper tiger”. A country whose people are cowards whose land can easily be taken away. Her territory can be invaded by the neighbors at will and its territorial waters snatched, easily forced to surrender her territorial land to a foreign aggressor without a single shot fired by its security. What a shame!!..

Kenya fishermen were especially encouraged by last week a bold statement by the Prime Minister Raila Odinga who made it categorically clear that Migingo Island is part of Kenya and therefore not negotiable. Why is President Kibaki keeping quiet. It is because’ Migingo island is located in Luo Nyanza? Or due to tribal overtone/ Or may be he is covertly a party to the problem?

We are seeing some element of tribal overtone in this mater , which in my view is volatile a time bomb an issue which needs to be resolved the earliest. Surely this is a situation which calls for political magnanimity and dynamism in the part of the head of state.

Let Kenyan know the stand of the president on the issue? And the sooner he act the better.
It a big shame that the Ugandan occupation forces were now forcing Kenyans to sign visitors books in Migingo Island which is part and parcel of their own motherland.. Now Uganda have hoisted two flags on the Island,one for the police force and the other for their national flag. What is the equal status quo which Minister Wetanguls had spoken about?

Kenyans visiting the Island are now forced to sign in the visitors book stating the duration of their stay, purpose of their visit on the Island the purpose of the such visits. Few Kenyan desperate fishermen who returned and agree to pay Kshs 60,000 a year tax for Uganda for working under close police surveillance.

Fish shortage in many part of Kenya is now rampant. Where the community is available the prices are affordable. This cause shortage in visitors in the neighbor fishers of Homa-bay Migori, Ndhiwa, Rachuonyo and Rongo well the ownership of Migingo is resolved quickly even some fish processing firms in Kisumu an Nairobi will be forced to close down their operation.

This writer was treated harshly by Ugandan security personnel who due to his bulk body had suspended him to be part of the well feed and well nourished Kenyan security agents as he cam successfully concealed his journalistic profession .and mission to the island. Revelation of such could have ended in detention.

Ends
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com

– – –
Date: Sun, 1 Mar 2009 07:57:57 -0800 [03/01/2009 09:57:57 AM CST]
From: Leo Odera Omolo
Subject: WHY PRESIDENT KIBAKI IS SIL OVER THE VOLATILE MIOGINGO ISLAND ISSUE AND DISPUTE WITH UGANDA?