Migingo Island belongs to Kenya, says PM

Prime Minister Raila Odinga says the ownership of Migingo Island in Lake Victoria is not negotiable.

"Migingo is a Kenyan island," said the PM.

He spoke as a Government delegation prepares to go to Uganda to discuss the matter.

Migingo — a one-acre island — has been the subject of controversy between Kenya and Uganda. Speaking during an adjournment Motion in Parliament, Raila said the Lake Victoria island is on the Kenyan side "since time immemorial" and asked Kenyans to be patient as the Government reclaims it.

He said five other islands in the lake were also annexed by former Ugandan President Idi Amin and should be reclaimed.

"I know there is tension, but I ask Kenyans to be patient. I would like to say the islands should revert to Kenya," said the PM amid applause from MPs. The other contested islands are Lolwe, Wiyami, Pemba and Sigulu.

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Simmering tension

Earlier, Mr Ababu Namwamba (Budalang’i, ODM) had sought the Government stand on the matter. He asked the Government to table maps showing the borders to determine where the island sits.

Seeking a ministerial statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Namwamba further urged the Government to point out the steps it had taken to resolve the simmering tension over Migingo.

Regretting harassment of Kenyan fishermen by Ugandan authorities, the MP told Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetangula to disclose reasons behind the deployment of Uganda military to the island.

He said livelihoods of Kenyans depending on the island were affected.

Mr Wetangula was not in the House, but Leader of Government Business and Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka said the matter was being treated seriously.

He said the delegation to Uganda would resolve the problem. The PM and Wetangula would be in the delegation.

The dispute over the island has been simmering for the past five years, but it intensified last week when Uganda sent soldiers to the one-acre island.