By DENNIS ONYANGO

The near decade-long row over Migingo Island in Lake Victoria could come to an end – thanks to a new deal struck during a recent Kenya-Uganda joint border commissioners’ meeting in Kisumu.

The conference came up with a raft of recommendations, including tasking the team to embark on the boundary review process in February 2014, to end the long territorial spat, which peaked in 2009.

In 2009, the joint survey team had undertaken inspection of the international boundary in the region to come up with practical modalities to conclude the survey work and demarcation.

The demarcation, which was to cost Sh240 million, stalled due to failure to bring all stakeholders on board. The delay to submit the report has been blamed for derailing the process of resolving the borderline dispute.

Political temperatures heightened between the two countries owing to the delay, with leaders and residents from the lakeside region blaming former President Kibaki for allegedly exhibiting indifference in the matter. It did not help the situation either that Kibaki was then experiencing frosty relations with co-principal in the Grand Coalition Government, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who is the region’s political kingpin. 

But with President Uhuru and Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni now enjoying cordial relations, there is renewed hope that the Migingo matter will be addressed soon.

To demonstrate his resolve to end the impasse, Museveni dispatched none other than his Chief Personal Assistant, Mohammed Sadique, as head of delegation in the Kisumu talks.

In fact, analysts are now optimistic the simmering discomfort among member states of East African Community (EAC) will provide an urgent resolution to the matter.

Political and Foreign Relations expert Fredrick Wanyama said Migingo is very crucial to the EAC integration bid following the recent friction with Tanzania.

“Uganda and Kenya are now under pressure to end the stalemate to restore unity in East Africa. The threat to integration has triggered talks to end the row and obviously the situation will this time round attract political goodwill,” Prof Wanyama said.

The Maseno University don stated the current standoff in EAC would force the leadership of the two countries to end the Migingo  Island conflict to avert any further division. During the three-day meeting held last week, officials from Kenya and Uganda came up with short-term mechanisms to ensure fishermen at the borderline are protected from extortion and any form of violence.

New taxes

The resolutions came barely two weeks after Kenyan fishermen living in Migingo Island claimed the Ugandan government wanted to introduce new taxes to frustrate them.

These included Sh80,000 annual taxes per boat excluding the Sh4,000 monthly protections fee. But Sadique assured that the taxes would be suspended until the border review process was concluded.

“Except where demarcation is known, the taxation issue should be halted until the outstanding issues are harmonised,” he said.

The leadership of the two countries is planning a joint visit to the island to verify extortion claims by Kenyan fishermen and any other challenges affecting the two communities living in the island.

Currently in the pipeline is the bid to establish Beach Management Units (BMUs) in both countries to locally address the challenges within the islet situated in one hectare piece of land.

The BMUs will sensitise locals of the fees to be paid by fishermen and ensure they (fishermen) are registered by the new unit to help in tracking down cases of illegal fishing. Administrations of the two countries are also set to co-operate in  sensitising the fishing community on the need for peaceful coexistence to enhance sustainable use of marine resources.

Joint patrols will be revamped across the border to address security challenges posed by cattle rustlers and terrorists at the border.

Follow-up

Head of Kenyan Delegation James ole Serian, who is also the Western Regional Coordinator, said the Kenyan team would visit Uganda in May 2014 to follow up the implementation of the resolutions.

The team also resolved that administrators between Nyatike Sub county and Bugiri District in Uganda should hold joint regular meetings to solve challenges at the island.

The two countries will also engage in joint disarmament initiative to curb terrorism and perennial cattle rustling menace across the border. In Uganda, the exercise had been rolled out and 30,934 guns suspected to have been used for cattle rustling were recovered.

To further strengthen ties between the countries, the meeting mooted plans to harmonise education standards within the framework of EAC and efforts to ensure the enforcement of necessary laws to curb terrorism and money laundering. Nyanza Regional Co-ordinator Francis Mutie said there is commitment by the two countries to end the dispute and expressed confidence that the challenge will be addressed in the spirit of good relationship that has existed between the two countries.