[President Uhuru Kenyatta in a past event. He maintains that Migingo Island is in Kenya. Photo/Nation]
A fiery President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday assured Homabay residents that controversial Migingo Island remained a Kenyan territory.
Being his first ever tour to the Lakeside town of Mbita, Uhuru was forced to intervene following calls from members of public who periodically chanted the name of the Island.
And Uhuru swiftly assured locals that the Kenyan authorities were monitoring the situation on a daily basis besides ensuring Kenyan fishermen were secure.
“The fact that I rarely speak about it doesn’t mean I don’t know what is going on. Even a fool knows that Migingo is a Kenyan property.
“Our security forces are monitoring the situation and in case of any alarm, I will respond. For now everything is safe and our neighbours know that,” he said.
Trouble started in 2009 when Ugandan authorities allegedly abducted Kenyan fishermen for trespass and the matter was discussed by the two countries without a concrete decision arrived.
Even though the situation calmed for sometime, Kenyans living in the isolated Island have often complained of harassment by Ugandan authorities.