The un-told story of Migingo Island

By Odero Oruoch

FOR many years Kenyan’s of the Luo Community have lived on Migingo Island as their ancestral home. However the situation has changed suddenly as the Ugandan government try to claim it. Now Kenyan fishermen are being harassed and arrested by Ugandan forces while others fall victim to marauding pirates in the island’s waters.
Nonetheless, to many Kenyans especially the Luo community in Nyanza province the whole issue is political. According to the residents of the Island, during the post poll election violence strangers who could not speak Swahili were spotted in the area. An exclusive source on the internet says “It was rumored that the Ugandan government was ready to support Kibaki to get to power, even if he didn’t win against Raila who was already a head. Museveni has something against the Luos”
And just to lid the source, the Ugandan President recently during a press conference with international media bust off and went ahead to warn residents of Nyanza province over the Migingo Island dispute….So I have been telling them hakuna mjaluo atavua samaki migingo ………





Political
Political pundits in the country add that the Migingo matter is a political game targeted at the Prime Minister and his Orange Democratic Movement outfit. Luo Nyanza his ancestral home is one of the strong holds of the party in the country. To beginners there have been tough tussles and squabbles in the coalition government between the two partners - PNU and ODM over real power sharing. According to the pundits Museveni is a mere tool being used by the Prime Minister’s political arch-rivals. It has been perceived that there exists bad blood between the PM and the rogue Ugandan president, a fact that the later denies .Raila on the other hand has taken a low profile on the matter as of refusing to make any comments over the latest remarks by Museveni about his ethnic community.
On the other hand PNU leaders and supporters in the country according to our investigations appear to be siding with the Ugandans thus unmasking the political implications of the whole saga. Interestingly, a few weeks ago a section of PNU Members of Parliament walked out of parliament as a motion to discuss Museveni’s biting remarks was being tabled. President Kibaki ironically maintains that his government is a “friend” of the Ugandan government and warns the media against exaggerating the Migingo Island dispute.

But - recently, suspected pirates held 20 fishermen hostage for over ten hours at night before stealing their fishing gears.
Confirming the incident the Migingo beach manger Juma Ombori said the criminals escaped with equipment worth Kshs.400, 000. He blamed the government for failing to provide security to the locals.
The Kenyan media on the other hand has investigated that deadly smugglers operating in Migingo Island and who are connected to powerful people in Uganda are the forces behind the dispute over the Island. According to the media sources the smugglers evade paying tax to Kenya as dispute over the territory overrun. The source held that the smugglers want the Ugandan government to control the Island for them to continue benefiting.
To starters the dispute between Kenya and Uganda over ownership of the one acre rocky Lake Victoria Island started last October when over 400 Kenyan fishermen were arrested for refusing to pay an “annual operation fee” of sh.50, 000 that was being imposed by Ugandan troops who had raised their country’s flag on the Island.



Protests
Enraged local elders have called for protests in all parts of the region and the country to force the government take action to fully be in control of the Island. The elders according to our reliable sources performed traditional land related rituals. The source unveiled that euphorbia (osuak) should be planted around the island to signify total ownership of the Island to the Luo community of Kenya. Ojuak according to local land ownership customs signify sacred values.
Already fishermen and residents in many parts of the region have taken to the streets condemning the Ugandan government over his remarks against the community while petitioning president Kibaki to intervene. Residents who talked to this writer said that Migiongo was not a Luo affair but a national affair ‘Kama Museveni ametumwa ku frustrate wajaluo aseme (“Let Museveni admit that he is on an assignment to aggravate the Lou community”) said a local elder who sought anonymity. Local politicians have also warned that the community will no longer tolerate Museveni’s indecent advances.
However local authorities led by the provincial commissioner Paul Olando have warned residents against engaging themselves in any unlawful acts as the government was working to resolve the dispute. The PC says that the government will not tolerate lawlessness and urged residents of Nyanza to be patient over the matter.


Uganda recently lowered its flag as pressure mounted on president Kibaki to take a military action agaist the aggressors. “Even after the two leaders agreed that Uganda should withdraw its forces, they are still on the island” our impeccable source indicated. According to maps, the lake Victoria island lies on the Kenyan side of the border, but Ugandan authorities have denied but otherwise argue that the waters surrounding the Island belong to Uganda. A task force costing tax payers Sh.140million comprising of officials from the two countries has been formed to survey the borders.
The local foreign affairs minister Moses Metangula says that the two governments will work jointly to resolve the dispute in the spirit of the East African Community co-operation. “Where we fail to agree we will call in independent surveyors and experts” he said. Museveni’s security forces have been accused of interfering with other East African Countries borders.
This however comes after the African Union (AU) directive that all countries execute protocols on their boundaries before the year 2012.

Controversy
Lake Victoria, the largest fresh water lake in African measures 70,000 square kilometers. It boasts of over 300,000 islands among them, Rusinga, Bugaia, Bugala, Bukasa Mgangano, Sese, Nabugungo, among others.Other Islands gripped with controversy , apart from Migingo include; Lolwe Miayami, Remba, and Sigulu. While commenting on the dispute earlier, the Prime Minister Raila Odinga had said that the Islands were annexed off Kenya by the former president of Uganda Id Amin. He had said that the government should reclaim them.
According to Raila, the dispute between Kenya and Uganda over Migingo Island was all about fishing. It is said that Migingo is the best fish breeding habitat in lake Victoria the home of the Nile Perch. According to a local pundit Migingo being only two hours travel from Kenya mainland, compared to the over ten hour travel from Uganda, Kenyan fishermen are best suited to benefit in this economic activity.

The island also has a big potential for tourism industry. A source that sought strict anonymity divulged that a top Ugandan government official who wants to apply aggression to grab the Island intends to put up a tourist class hotel on the island. The source held that the alleged international land grabber intends to upset the Kenyan fishermen and run them out of business only to benefit their Ugandan counterparts.
Never the less, all said and done, Kenyans eagerly await the outcome of the joint survey team to determine the true owners of the Island and the waters around it.
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