WAR WITH NO END IN SIGHT: Kenya and Uganda go head to head today in age-old football derby

Harambee Stars head coach Stanley Okumbi instructs his charges during their morning training session at Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos on March 22, 2017. Kenyan national team trains ahead of their double-header international friendlies against Uganda and DRC Congo on March 22, and 26, 2017 respectively. Photo/Stafford Ondego/www.sportpicha.com

Kenya came close to a full blown war with Uganda some time in 1976 when then President, Al-Haji Field Marshal Idi Amin Dada ignited a row claiming the whole of Nyanza and Western Provinces, all the way to Naivasha, was their territory.

It is only after President Jomo Kenyatta flexed Kenya’s muscle by threatening to block Uganda’s imports through the Port of Mombasa did Amin Dada beat a hasty retreat.

Writing in the East African on September 10, 2011, Bamuturaki Musinguzi writes that on February 14, 1976, the late Ugandan dictator justified his machinations thus: “In order to make Ugandans understand the noble objectives, I consider it necessary to explain to them their past recorded geographical and historical connections as before the partition of Africa by imperial powers at the Berlin Conference of 1884, the African nations knew of no national boundaries although after the attainment of independence, through blood and sweat, Africans knew of their boundaries. All of them had blood relations across their borders.”

According to Amin, as Musinguzi captures vividly, he was just “informing his people without any intentions for war nor advocating any changes” while noting that he (Amin) had a written agreement signed by the then British colonial secretary of state Herbert Asquith, transferring some parts of Uganda to Sudan in 1914 and to Kenya in 1926.

Relations between the two countries were strained. It did not help that Kenya provided Israel the launching pad for the unforgettable ‘Operation Entebbe’ — a successful counter-terrorist hostage-rescue mission carried out by commandos of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) at Entebbe Airport in Uganda on July 4 1976— less than five months after Amin’s antagonistic pronouncements.

The fiery Amin, once quoted as saying, ‘you cannot run faster than a bullet’ wanted an instant riposte to Kenya’s transgressions, if possible, 24 hours after the Entebbe raid.

Amos Kareithi writing in The Standard on July 5, 2010 records that Amin quickly telephoned his Somali counterpart, Siad Barre, inviting him to join him in a multi-prong attack against Kenya.

It never materialised as Kareithi, quoting The Daily Telegraph published on July 19, 1976, notes that United States satellite tracking and communications station in the Indian Ocean Island of Diego Garcia overheard the plot. The Americans consequently dispatched P-3 Reconnaissance aircraft from the Diego Garcia Base, which was to report a build-up of Ugandan troops and armoured personnel at three points along the Kenyan border. In the end, the plot hit a dead end.

But that was 41 years ago, six years before Stanley Okumbi the man to lead Kenya today against Uganda, was born.

Since then, Kenya and Uganda have traded sporting and economic blows punctuated by a unresolved dispute over Migingo Island in Lake Victoria.

There was also the famous 1982 Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup final in Kampala, which Kenya won on penalties thanks to one Mahmoud Abass’ heroics between the sticks and John Bobby Ogolla playing with a heavily bandaged and bleeding head.

Since then, also, Uganda have discovered oil and mother nature has smiled on Kenya, too. Uganda has since elected to export her oil through Tanzania instead of Kenya despite high cost of constructing a pipeline to Dar es Salaam.

Following a meeting in Kampala in April last year to try and thrash out a deal to have Kenya and Uganda build a joint pipeline to Mombasa, President Yoweri Museveni poured cold water on the idea.

He said both countries would build a separate pipeline to transport its oil to the coast.

“There is no more paralysis on that matter, we are moving,” Museveni declared.

But that is a war of economic kind and Okumbi may not be overly interested.

Today, however, at Machakos Stadium starting 3pm, there will be a war of sporting kind. Both coaches, clearly not bending backwards to the underlying factors of the two countries’ rivalry, will use the match to prepare their teams for future engagements.

Okumbi has an eye on the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers following tame attempt at the last edition, which saw them ejected before the main dance started.

“I want to build a strong team that can compete effectively when the qualifiers start in June,” Okumbi explained as the reason he called up all his available players.

Uganda coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevi? has selected an experimental squad with a view to replenishing his side that reached the AFCON finals in Gabon early this year.

“We now need to start building for the 2018 Africa Nations Championship (Chan) qualifiers, the 2019 Afcon qualifiers and the 2018 World Cup qualifiers by testing the players,” Micho told Ugandan media on Monday.

Kenya came close to a full blown war with Uganda some time in 1976 when then President, Al-Haji Field Marshal Idi Amin Dada ignited a row claiming the whole of Nyanza and Western Provinces, all the way to Naivasha, was their territory.

It is only after President Jomo Kenyatta flexed Kenya’s muscle by threatening to block Uganda’s imports through the Port of Mombasa did Amin Dada beat a hasty retreat.

Writing in the East African on September 10, 2011, Bamuturaki Musinguzi writes that on February 14, 1976, the late Ugandan dictator justified his machinations thus: “In order to make Ugandans understand the noble objectives, I consider it necessary to explain to them their past recorded geographical and historical connections as before the partition of Africa by imperial powers at the Berlin Conference of 1884, the African nations knew of no national boundaries although after the attainment of independence, through blood and sweat, Africans knew of their boundaries. All of them had blood relations across their borders.”

According to Amin, as Musinguzi captures vividly, he was just “informing his people without any intentions for war nor advocating any changes” while noting that he (Amin) had a written agreement signed by the then British colonial secretary of state Herbert Asquith, transferring some parts of Uganda to Sudan in 1914 and to Kenya in 1926.

Relations between the two countries were strained. It did not help that Kenya provided Israel the launching pad for the unforgettable ‘Operation Entebbe’ — a successful counter-terrorist hostage-rescue mission carried out by commandos of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) at Entebbe Airport in Uganda on July 4 1976— less than five months after Amin’s antagonistic pronouncements.

The fiery Amin, once quoted as saying, ‘you cannot run faster than a bullet’ wanted an instant riposte to Kenya’s transgressions, if possible, 24 hours after the Entebbe raid.

Amos Kareithi writing in The Standard on July 5, 2010 records that Amin quickly telephoned his Somali counterpart, Siad Barre, inviting him to join him in a multi-prong attack against Kenya.

It never materialised as Kareithi, quoting The Daily Telegraph published on July 19, 1976, notes that United States satellite tracking and communications station in the Indian Ocean Island of Diego Garcia overheard the plot. The Americans consequently dispatched P-3 Reconnaissance aircraft from the Diego Garcia Base, which was to report a build-up of Ugandan troops and armoured personnel at three points along the Kenyan border. In the end, the plot hit a dead end.

But that was 41 years ago, six years before Stanley Okumbi the man to lead Kenya today against Uganda, was born.

Since then, Kenya and Uganda have traded sporting and economic blows punctuated by a unresolved dispute over Migingo Island in Lake Victoria.

There was also the famous 1982 Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup final in Kampala, which Kenya won on penalties thanks to one Mahmoud Abass’ heroics between the sticks and John Bobby Ogolla playing with a heavily bandaged and bleeding head.

Since then, also, Uganda have discovered oil and mother nature has smiled on Kenya, too. Uganda has since elected to export her oil through Tanzania instead of Kenya despite high cost of constructing a pipeline to Dar es Salaam.

Following a meeting in Kampala in April last year to try and thrash out a deal to have Kenya and Uganda build a joint pipeline to Mombasa, President Yoweri Museveni poured cold water on the idea.

He said both countries would build a separate pipeline to transport its oil to the coast.

“There is no more paralysis on that matter, we are moving,” Museveni declared.

But that is a war of economic kind and Okumbi may not be overly interested.

Today, however, at Machakos Stadium starting 3pm, there will be a war of sporting kind. Both coaches, clearly not bending backwards to the underlying factors of the two countries’ rivalry, will use the match to prepare their teams for future engagements.

Okumbi has an eye on the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers following tame attempt at the last edition, which saw them ejected before the main dance started.

“I want to build a strong team that can compete effectively when the qualifiers start in June,” Okumbi explained as the reason he called up all his available players.

Uganda coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevi? has selected an experimental squad with a view to replenishing his side that reached the AFCON finals in Gabon early this year.

“We now need to start building for the 2018 Africa Nations Championship (Chan) qualifiers, the 2019 Afcon qualifiers and the 2018 World Cup qualifiers by testing the players,” Micho told Ugandan media on Monday.