Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City.

Kenya’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Moses Wetangula, last week treated his countrymen to one of the worse hoaxes ever witnessed in the recent past.

The Minister on Wednesday last week made an impromptu announcement while speaking in the Western Kenya Town of Kakamega to the effect that the dispute between Kenya and Uganda over the tiny and rocky one acre fishing Migingo Island has been resolved amicably.

The announcement caused the over 2000 Kenyan fishermen, fish traders and kiosk owners there, to go into ecstasy of beer drinking sprees, dances, and all sort of celebrations.

As all the celebration was going for the whole day and night, the more than 30 Uganda marine police men posted to the island to provide security, and an official from the Uganda Revenue Authority, watched in disbelief.

On Friday last week, the first reaction of the Ugandan government left Kenyan fishermen and residents of the island not only puzzled but in a state of shock.

Kampala for the first time reacted to Minister Wetangula’s premature announcement and made it publicly clear that there was no such agreement.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ugandan Foreign Affairs Ministry, James Mugume, asserted that perhaps the Kenyan Minister was misquoted by the local media. He told the government owned NEWVISION that the report attributed to Minister Wetangula is misleading because only last week Kenya’s Prime Minister Raila visited Uganda, and had a lengthy discussion with President Museveni over wide ranging important issues affecting the two neighboring countries.

During the visit the Ugandan authorities agree with Kenya that the survey to determine the boundaries and ownership of Migingo Island must be re-done.

“The two governments had agreed that the survey must be re-done, starting at River Sio to Llemba Islands, and going all the way to the Pyramid islands’, Mugume said. He added that the Ugandans are still waiting for their counterparts in Kenya to agree when the re-survey work would commence.

The PS said the Minister could have been misquoted by the Kenyan media. “There are many islands in Lake Victoria and quite often journalists misquote leaders when they talk of an island other than Migingo,” he said, adding that President Museven himself was once misquoted when he was talking about another island not Migingo.

Mugume’s statement was the first reaction from a senior Ugandan government official ever since Minister Wetangula made the announcement last week.

A dispute flared up in February last year when Kenyan fishermen operating in Migingo Island were kicked out by the Ugandan security personnel. URA kicked them out after refusing to pay annual fees or taxes each for their operations in what was then deemed as Ugandan territorial waters. The Ugandan Revenue authorities were asking for Kshs 50,000 for each boat owners per annum. Close to 400 Kenyan was expelled. The few Kenyan policemen stationed on the Island were disarmed and taken into custody by their Ugandan counterparts for the best part of the day, but were later released and expelled from the island. Ugandan authorities hosted their national flag on the island virtually taking over its administration control.

Kenyan authorities protested and sent several high level ministerial delegations to Kampala in vain attempts to have the matter resolved diplomatically. It was deemed as threatening to the East African integration under the auspice of the East African Community {EAC}.

Ugandan authorities proposed that the matter be resolved by a survey, using the boundaries set by the Kenya Colony and Protectorate in 1927. The two countries agree on a budget of Kshs 140 million to be shared equally for the survey work. It was later agreed that the fishermen from both sides of the disputed boundaries be allowed to continue conducting business until the boundary issue was resolved by the joint team of surveyor from both countries.

It was further agreed that Uganda withdrew 48 marine police officers it had deployed and stationed on the Island. It was further agreed that the Ugandan national flag be pulled down while the exercise of survey work is going on.

Presidents Mwai Kibaki and President Yoweri Museveni agree that the matter be resolved amicably and peacefully.

Wetangula statement came in the wake of a claim made by a British researcher John Donaldson of the UK based Boundaries Research Unit, which made it quite clear that Migingo is in Kenya.

Ugandan security personnel, previously numbering about 22, but who have of late been beefed up to 32. They remained non-committal, saying they were not about to leave unless they received order and instructions from their superiors in Kampala.

The Friday news came after an incident in which two Kenyan fishermen were thrown into the lake by their Ugandan counterparts for unclear reasons raising tensions on the island.

Ends

leooderaoimolo@yahoo.com