Why Uganda's Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba is guilty of aggression against Kenya

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President Uhuru Kenyatta. General Muhoozi Kainerugaba at State House, Nairobi. [Standard]

Thirty-seven years ago, we facilitated the 1985 Nairobi peace talks between the military government of Uganda and the Museveni-led National Resistance Movement (NRM) and hosted thousands of Ugandan teachers in our schools during Idi Amin's regime.

Kenya provides the great north road that the general imagines destroying on his way to Nairobi.

Wise counsel

As I stated earlier, Gen. Muhoozi's was a diplomatic blunder, and Kenya citing threats to her national security could have easily expelled the Ugandan high commissioner awaiting clarification on the same according to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961.

Wise counsel was against such a move because Kenya has a peace project to implement in the region.

Since the government of the son of Amos Kaguta disowned the tweet, this must be treated as a bad joke, undiplomatic and uncalled-for attitude.

Amos Kaguta, Museveni's father, served in the Kings African Rifles in World War II in the seventh battalion hence the president's name, Museveni, which is derived from "The Seventh". Soldiers from the battalion were referred to as "Abaseveni"

People's resilience and national security

For the record in February 1976, Idi Amin the president of Uganda played monkey tricks by claiming a large part of Kenya having been incited by Said Barre of Somalia who had laid similar claims on northeastern Kenya. Jomo Kenyatta president of Kenya then declared that Kenya would ruthlessly deal with neighbours who publicly expressed their sinister intentions.

Kenyatta instructed his vice president Daniel Arap Moi to summon the USA ambassador to Kenya Antony Marshall to emphasize the urgent need for financial and military assistance.

Peace

The East African Court of Justice also deals with issues of genocide, crime against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression among others.

On the other hand, Inter-Governmental Authority on Development(IGAD) plays a crucial role in agenda setting thus directing African and other global responses to conflict in the region.

In conclusion, threats to bilateral peace will always lead to security and economic consequences of regional and global ramifications.

Kenya and Uganda should be lead member states in forging regional integration. The bilateral and multilateral approaches in solving global issues should be our shield and defender. Everybody and everything is a loser in a conflict situation

Dr. Paul Kurgat - Expert in Tact & Strategy in Diplomacy and Foreign Policy