Uganda and Kenyan Police bosses sign agreement to avert hostilities on Migingo island

Kayihura (Right) and Boinnet (Left) addressing the Press in Nairobi.

Kayihura (Right) and Boinnet (Left) addressing the Press in Nairobi.

The Ugandan Police Chief, Gen. Kale Kayihura and his Kenyan Counterpart, Joseph Boinnet on Wednesday signed the Joint Communiqué that will see an end to hostilities between Ugandans and Kenyans who are currently living on the disputed island of Migingo.

The island, with a size of a football pitch has been a source of controversy for many years with tensions boiling up in the past few days threatening to spill into a conflict.

However, while addressing Journalists the meeting a in a bid to end hostilities at Migingo Island, the two Police Chiefs said they had reached an agreement on solving the long term problem.

According to sources, the meeting agreed to constitute a Joint Task Force of technical personal from the two sides to review specific areas of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to enhance security at Migingo Island that would include; Deployment, Joint Operations, Arms Control, Communication, Crime Management, Community Policing on Lake Victoria and the entire common border.

“During the meeting, it was also noted that there was need to enhance border security beyond Migingo Island to cover the entire borderline from North to South in order to address the contemporary Trans – national crime,” said Uganda’s Deputy Police Spokesperson, Patrick Onyango.

Aerial view of the disputed Migingo island on lake Victoria.

Aerial view of the disputed Migingo island on lake Victoria.

Onyango also said the meeting also recommended the following measures;

  1. That police officers deployed at the island should enforce the law without favor or discrimination as to the nationality of the offender.
    2. That the fishing community should recognize the territorial boundaries and adhere to the law of the respective countries.
    3. The Police Officers in liaison with the local leaders should ensure that all residents in the island are registered to avoid infiltration by criminals.
    4. To review the composition of either force on the island to include Marine Police.
    5. That the maximum number of police officers to be deployed should not exceed 12 at any one time.
    6. That the security officers as and when need arises, may evacuate the patients to the nearest health facilities in emergency cases.
    7. That the Kenya Police add an organic weapon. I.e. one light machine gun commensurate to the weapons with the counterparts.
    8. Optimal use of the existing frameworks like the border security committees and the Joint Permanent Commission (JPC) agreements.
    9. The joint survey team should expedite the survey process and produce the required report.
    Allegations contained in the intelligence report are conclusively investigated

The agreement comes in the wake of last week’s visit by both security chiefs to the island where they held a joint security meeting with locals and Police.

The two assured the locals who reside on the island of total security.

The island has been at the centre of a dispute between Kenya and Uganda with both countries claiming ownership. The row reached a boiling point in 2008 after Kenyan fishermen were barred from fishing in the waters.

In 2013, a lobby group wrote to the International Criminal Court requesting for investigations into claims that Uganda forces are violating the rights of the people living on the Island.

The African Human Rights Bureau through its executive director Dan Alila requested ICC to invoke its powers to protect the Kenyan residents living and fishing around Migingo and Ugingo Islands “from Ugandan Forces aggression.”

However speaking during last week’s visit, the two security chiefs promised to ensure that there is peaceful co-existence between Kenyans and Ugandans living on the island.

Boinnet however maintained that Kenyans and Ugandans living on the island must respect the rule of law to avoid friction that has been reported previously adding that they must do their fishing activity in accordance with the law.

Gen Kayihura on the other hand said that the people living on the island must respect the laws of Kenya and Uganda as the two countries continue to work out a solution.

 

 

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