Caroli Omondi a Kenyan Member of Parliament representing Suba South County has tasked the country’s Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Musalia Mudavadi to assure them they will be safe in Uganda especially during coming East African Parliamentary sports gala.
Uganda’s parliament under the leadership of Annet Anita Among the Speaker is set to host the games in two weeks’ time.
However, in a joking mode, Kenyan legislators claimed that their safety in Uganda might be in danger citing the recent incident where two Kenyan activists Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo were kidnapped in Uganda and spent more than a month in illegal detention
President Museveni confirmed after their release explaining that they were in detention cell he branded as a ‘fridge’ because Uganda security had information that they had come to Uganda to join opposition strongman Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine) to destabilize the country’s security through inciting youths into riots.
In response, Mudavadi offered a humorous reassurance before the Speaker intervened.
“I just want to assure him that they’ll be safe when they go to Uganda for the inter-parliamentary sports,” Mudavadi said
Kenyan Speaker Moses Wetang’ula interjected noting that there was “no evidence to the contrary” regarding the safety of the legislators adding that Omondi appeared to be offering “comic relief”.
Mudavadi further assured Parliament and the country that Kenya remains firmly committed to regional peace, multilateral obligations, and the protection of landlocked neighbours’ access to the sea.
Mudavadi dismissed any suggestion of military tension, saying Kenya has no intention of going to war with Uganda.
He was also responded before the National Assembly plenary on Wednesday after concerns were raised by the same legislator seeking clarification on claims circulating in some quarters that Uganda harboured intentions to “overrun Kenya and take the Indian Ocean” .
“Mr Speaker, could the Prime Cabinet Secretary inform the House on what steps the government has taken to address the recent claims by Uganda that they want to overrun Kenya and take the Indian Ocean,” Omondi asked.
Omondi anchored his concerns on Uganda’s alleged history of “military adventurism” in countries such as South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Somalia and Burundi.
According to Mudavadi, the claims were unfounded, emphasising Kenya’s long-standing role as a responsible member of the international community.
“I just want to say that there are conventions and obligations which deal with landlocked countries, and the African Union Constitutive Act is one of such instruments,” he explained.
“So, I want to assure you that we are not going to go to war. We as a country have always provided safe passage and free passage for goods from landlocked countries, and we are not about to change that, because it is our international obligation, but also it is how we grow the bonds in our region.”
He added that Kenya has consistently upheld international protocols that guarantee access to the ocean for neighbours such as Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan, an approach that has anchored peace and trade relations within the East African Community.
Mudavadi further noted that Nairobi would not be drawn into speculative or provocative statements, stressing that Kenya’s foreign policy is guided by diplomacy, cooperation and adherence to international law.
The development resulted from Museveni recent statements where he warned Kenya, saying his landlocked country is entitled to access to the Indian Ocean.
He highlighted the challenges faced by landlocked countries like Uganda, describing Africa’s current political borders as irrational and limiting to trade and defence.
“How can you say that you are in a block of flats and that the compound belongs to only the flats on the ground floor? The compound belongs to the whole block. All the flats are entitled to the compound,” he said.
He stressed that Uganda, being landlocked, should still benefit from the Indian Ocean, noting it is unreasonable for only coastal nations to enjoy access while landlocked countries are left isolated. He called the situation “madness”.
“My ocean is the Indian Ocean. It really belongs to me. I’m on the top floor of the block, and then you say the compound belongs only to the ones on the ground floor. This is madness,” Museveni said.
