Migingo Island
Encyclopedia
Migingo is a tiny 2,000-square-metre (half-acre) island, about half the size of a football pitch
in Lake Victoria
.
In 2008–09 the island itself was claimed by both Kenya
and Uganda
. July 2009 a survey team found that the island is 510 metres (1,673.2 ft) east of the Kenya
-Uganda
border within the lake, a finding supported by openly available Google Earth
imagery. Since 1926, territorial ownership of the island has been consistently shown on maps and in language on official documents as Kenyan.
However, much if not most of the Ugandan protests revolve around the lucrative fishing
rights, mostly for valuable Nile perch
, and Ugandan waters come within about 510 metres (1,673.2 ft) of the island. In July 2009 the Ugandan government shifted its official position, stating that while Migingo Island was in fact Kenyan, much of the waters near it were Ugandan. The island had been claimed by the Ugandan government in 2008-2009 until 11 May 2009 when Ugandan President
Yoweri Museveni
conceded that the island is in Kenya, but continued to point out that Kenyan fisherman were illegally fishing in Ugandan waters which lie about 500 meters to the west of Migingo, the Ugandan flag
was lowered, Uganda withdrew its military troops
, and agreed that all its police officer
s would leave the island. A joint re-demarcation line
of the border was launched on 2 June 2009 to recover and to place survey marker
s on land, making delineation of the boundary on the lake more precise, with results released in late July 2009 confirming that the islands falls 510 metres (1,673.2 ft) on the Kenyan side of the line.
, a number of brothel
s and a pharmacy
on the island.
A rocky and rugged piece of land with little vegetation, Migingo is one of three small islands in close proximity. As is clear in Google Earth, the much-larger Usingo Island is 200 metres (656.2 ft) to the east of the small white rectangle that is Migingo, and Pyramid Island
, the largest of the three, is 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) due south of Migingo and 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) north of the Tanzanian border in Lake Victoria. On detailed maps, all three islands have been shown on the Kenyan side since the 1920s, when the Kenya Colony and Protectorate Order in Council, 1926 awarded all three islands to Kenya.
The boundary delineation in that 1926 agreement and the Constitution of Uganda
state that the boundary line runs to "the westernmost point of Pyramid Island...thence continuing by a straight line northerly to the most westerly point of Ilemba Island." A line connecting those two points runs 510 metres (1,673.2 ft) west of Migingo, placing the island within Kenya along with the larger Pyramid and Usingo Islands, as shown on all known maps since 1926. Tiny Migingo's location within 200 metres (656.2 ft) of the much-larger Usingo Island is clear both on Google Earth and on widely available television network videos depicting aerial helicopter photography.
Migingo Island is so small as not to be displayed on some maps. However, it has not "emerged from the water" recently, despite a Uganda government official's claims. In the first decade of the 21st century, water levels have dropped only 0.5–1 m (1.6–3.3 ) in the lake from the normal level.
Recent photographs clearly show the island reaching 10–15 m (32.8–49.2 ) above the lake level.
, Ugandan marine police
came and pitched tent on the island, and raised the Ugandan flag and that of their police department. Ugandan and Kenyan police
have since occupied the island at various times.
A dispute flared in February 2009 when Kenyans living on Migingo were required to purchase special permits from the Ugandan government, sparking a diplomatic row between the two countries.
A Ugandan-government press release
on 12 March 2009, proposed that the matter be resolved by a survey, using as a guideline the boundaries set by the Kenya Colony and Protectorate Order in Council, 1926 which is copied into the Ugandan constitution and which identifies the boundary line as tangentally touching the western tip of Pyramid Island, and then running in a straight line just west of due north to the western tip of Kenya's' Ilemba Island.
On 13 March several government ministers, including the foreign-affairs ministers
— Kenyan Moses Wetangula
and Ugandan Sam Kutesa
— met in Kampala
, Uganda, and reached an agreement that the fishermen from both countries be allowed to continue conducting business as usual, until the boundary was determined by experts. They also agreed that Uganda withdraw the forty-eight policemen it had deployed on Migingo.
On 27 March Ugandan and Kenyan ministers traveled to the island where they held negotiations and addressed the residents. This ended in a row, with the First Deputy Prime Minister of Uganda
Eriya Kategaya
taking issue with the Kenyan Minister for Lands, James Orengo
, for calling the Ugandan delegation "hyena
s" during the meeting The Kenyan delegation demanded that Uganda withdraw its police. The Ugandan delegation insisted that they would remove the flag only after consulting the State House (the Office of the President of Uganda), and that the Ugandan policemen were there to keep law and order. Kenya's Internal Security Assistant Minister, Orwa Ojode, replied that he would be sending Kenyan police to the island.
Amidst concerns that the dispute may affect cooperation between the two countries and within the East African Community
, both Museveni and Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki
have voiced confidence that the dispute, including fishing rights, will be resolved amicably.
Pitch (sports)
A pitch is an open outdoor area for various activities. It is used in British and Australian English; the comparable term in American English is field...
in Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake....
.
In 2008–09 the island itself was claimed by both Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
and Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
. July 2009 a survey team found that the island is 510 metres (1,673.2 ft) east of the Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
-Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
border within the lake, a finding supported by openly available Google Earth
Google Earth
Google Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographical information program that was originally called EarthViewer 3D, and was created by Keyhole, Inc, a Central Intelligence Agency funded company acquired by Google in 2004 . It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite...
imagery. Since 1926, territorial ownership of the island has been consistently shown on maps and in language on official documents as Kenyan.
However, much if not most of the Ugandan protests revolve around the lucrative fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
rights, mostly for valuable Nile perch
Nile perch
The Nile perch is a species of freshwaterfish in family Latidae of order Perciformes. It is widespread throughout muchof the Afrotropic ecozone, being native to the Congo, Nile, Senegal, Niger, and Lake Chad, Volta, Lake Turkana and other river basins. It also occurs in the brackish waters of...
, and Ugandan waters come within about 510 metres (1,673.2 ft) of the island. In July 2009 the Ugandan government shifted its official position, stating that while Migingo Island was in fact Kenyan, much of the waters near it were Ugandan. The island had been claimed by the Ugandan government in 2008-2009 until 11 May 2009 when Ugandan President
President of Uganda
-List of Presidents of Uganda:-Affiliations:-See also:*Uganda*Vice President of Uganda*Prime Minister of Uganda*Politics of Uganda*History of Uganda*Political parties of Uganda...
Yoweri Museveni
Yoweri Museveni
Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is a Ugandan politician and statesman. He has been President of Uganda since 26 January 1986.Museveni was involved in the war that deposed Idi Amin Dada, ending his rule in 1979, and in the rebellion that subsequently led to the demise of the Milton Obote regime in 1985...
conceded that the island is in Kenya, but continued to point out that Kenyan fisherman were illegally fishing in Ugandan waters which lie about 500 meters to the west of Migingo, the Ugandan flag
Flag of Uganda
The flag of Uganda was adopted on 9 October 1962, the date that Uganda became independent from the United Kingdom. It consists of six equal horizontal bands of black , yellow, red, black, yellow, and red; a white disc is superimposed at the centre and depicts the national symbol, a Grey Crowned...
was lowered, Uganda withdrew its military troops
Troop
A troop is a military unit, originally a small force of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron and headed by the troop leader. In many armies a troop is the equivalent unit to the infantry section or platoon...
, and agreed that all its police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
s would leave the island. A joint re-demarcation line
Demarcation line
A demarcation line means simply a boundary around a specific area, but is commonly used to denote a temporary geopolitical border, often agreed upon as part of an armistice or ceasefire.See the following examples:...
of the border was launched on 2 June 2009 to recover and to place survey marker
Survey marker
Survey markers, also called survey marks, and sometimes geodetic marks, are objects placed to mark key survey points on the Earth's surface. They are used in geodetic and land surveying. Informally, such marks are referred to as benchmarks, although strictly speaking the term "benchmark" is...
s on land, making delineation of the boundary on the lake more precise, with results released in late July 2009 confirming that the islands falls 510 metres (1,673.2 ft) on the Kenyan side of the line.
Geography
The island has a population of about 131 (according to 2009 census), mostly fishermen and fish traders, who are served by four pubsPublic house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, a number of brothel
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
s and a pharmacy
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
on the island.
A rocky and rugged piece of land with little vegetation, Migingo is one of three small islands in close proximity. As is clear in Google Earth, the much-larger Usingo Island is 200 metres (656.2 ft) to the east of the small white rectangle that is Migingo, and Pyramid Island
Pyramid Island
Pyramid Island is a Kenyan island whose westerly most point is used to demarcate the border between Kenya and Uganda just north of the 1st degree south parallel in Lake Victoria. There are other two adjacent islands, Migingo Island and Usingo Island. Pyramid and Usingo are steep and uninhabitable...
, the largest of the three, is 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) due south of Migingo and 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) north of the Tanzanian border in Lake Victoria. On detailed maps, all three islands have been shown on the Kenyan side since the 1920s, when the Kenya Colony and Protectorate Order in Council, 1926 awarded all three islands to Kenya.
The boundary delineation in that 1926 agreement and the Constitution of Uganda
Constitution of Uganda
The Constitution of Uganda is the supreme law of Uganda. The current constitution was adopted on October 8, 1995. It sanctions a republican form of government with a powerful president. 2005 amendments removed presidential term limits and legalized a multi-party political system.-External links:*...
state that the boundary line runs to "the westernmost point of Pyramid Island...thence continuing by a straight line northerly to the most westerly point of Ilemba Island." A line connecting those two points runs 510 metres (1,673.2 ft) west of Migingo, placing the island within Kenya along with the larger Pyramid and Usingo Islands, as shown on all known maps since 1926. Tiny Migingo's location within 200 metres (656.2 ft) of the much-larger Usingo Island is clear both on Google Earth and on widely available television network videos depicting aerial helicopter photography.
Migingo Island is so small as not to be displayed on some maps. However, it has not "emerged from the water" recently, despite a Uganda government official's claims. In the first decade of the 21st century, water levels have dropped only 0.5–1 m (1.6–3.3 ) in the lake from the normal level.
Recent photographs clearly show the island reaching 10–15 m (32.8–49.2 ) above the lake level.
History
Two Kenyan fishermen, Dalmas Tembo and George Kibebe, claim to have been the first inhabitants on the island. When they settled there in 1991, it was covered with weeds and infested with birds and snakes. Joseph Nsubuga, a Ugandan fisherman, says he settled on Migingo in 2004, when all he found on the island was an abandoned house. Subsequently, other fishermen — from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania — came to the island because of its proximity to fishing grounds rich with Nile perch. An unusual claim in 2009 by some Kenyan fishermen was that since none of the Nile perch breed in Uganda (the nearest Ugandan land and nearest Ugandan freshwater is 85 kilometres (52.8 mi) away), then the fish somehow "belonged to Kenyans".Uganda-Kenya dispute
In June 2004, according to the Kenyan governmentPolitics of Kenya
The Politics of Kenya take place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Kenya is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. Recent constitutional amendments have enabled sharing of executive powers between the...
, Ugandan marine police
Uganda Police Force
The Uganda Police Force is the national police force of Uganda. The head of the Force is called the Inspector General of Police . The current IGP is Major General Edward Kale Kayihura. He is a soldier of the UPDF....
came and pitched tent on the island, and raised the Ugandan flag and that of their police department. Ugandan and Kenyan police
Kenya Police
The Kenya Police is a national body in charge of law enforcement in the East Africa State of Kenya. While organised at a national level, each arm reports to a Provincial police authority, which in turn divides its force by local Police Divisions, headquartered at local police stations...
have since occupied the island at various times.
A dispute flared in February 2009 when Kenyans living on Migingo were required to purchase special permits from the Ugandan government, sparking a diplomatic row between the two countries.
A Ugandan-government press release
News release
A press release, news release, media release, press statement or video release is a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something ostensibly newsworthy...
on 12 March 2009, proposed that the matter be resolved by a survey, using as a guideline the boundaries set by the Kenya Colony and Protectorate Order in Council, 1926 which is copied into the Ugandan constitution and which identifies the boundary line as tangentally touching the western tip of Pyramid Island, and then running in a straight line just west of due north to the western tip of Kenya's' Ilemba Island.
On 13 March several government ministers, including the foreign-affairs ministers
Foreign minister
A Minister of Foreign Affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign state. The foreign minister is often regarded as the most senior ministerial position below that of the head of government . It is often granted to the deputy prime minister in...
— Kenyan Moses Wetangula
Moses Wetangula
Moses Masika Wetangula is a Kenyan politician and Member of Parliament representing Sirisia Constituency. He has been the Minister for Foreign Affairs since January 2008.-Early life:...
and Ugandan Sam Kutesa
Sam Kutesa
Sam Kahamba Kutesa is a Ugandan lawyer and politician. He is the current Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Ugandan Cabinet, a position he has held since 13 January 2005. He is also the elected Member of Parliament for "Mawogola County", Sembabule District...
— met in Kampala
Kampala
Kampala is the largest city and capital of Uganda. The city is divided into five boroughs that oversee local planning: Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division and Lubaga Division. The city is coterminous with Kampala District.-History: of Buganda, had chosen...
, Uganda, and reached an agreement that the fishermen from both countries be allowed to continue conducting business as usual, until the boundary was determined by experts. They also agreed that Uganda withdraw the forty-eight policemen it had deployed on Migingo.
On 27 March Ugandan and Kenyan ministers traveled to the island where they held negotiations and addressed the residents. This ended in a row, with the First Deputy Prime Minister of Uganda
Prime Minister of Uganda
-List of Prime Ministers of Uganda:-Affiliations:-See also:*Uganda*President of Uganda*Vice President of Uganda*Politics of Uganda*History of Uganda*Political parties of Uganda...
Eriya Kategaya
Eriya Kategaya
Eriya Kategaya is a Ugandan lawyer and politician. Currently, he is Uganda's First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs...
taking issue with the Kenyan Minister for Lands, James Orengo
James Orengo
James Orengo, is a lawyer and former presidential candidate in Kenya. He comes from Ugenya Constituency of Siaya District; he was educated at Ambira Primary School and the Alliance High School. He is law graduate of the University of Nairobi where he was the student body president in his final year...
, for calling the Ugandan delegation "hyena
Hyena
Hyenas or Hyaenas are the animals of the family Hyaenidae of suborder feliforms of the Carnivora. It is the fourth smallest biological family in the Carnivora , and one of the smallest in the mammalia...
s" during the meeting The Kenyan delegation demanded that Uganda withdraw its police. The Ugandan delegation insisted that they would remove the flag only after consulting the State House (the Office of the President of Uganda), and that the Ugandan policemen were there to keep law and order. Kenya's Internal Security Assistant Minister, Orwa Ojode, replied that he would be sending Kenyan police to the island.
Amidst concerns that the dispute may affect cooperation between the two countries and within the East African Community
East African Community
The East African Community is an intergovernmental organisation comprising the five east African countries Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. Pierre Nkurunziza, the President of the Republic of Burundi, is the current Chairman of the East African Community. The EAC was originally...
, both Museveni and Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki
Mwai Kibaki
Mwai Kibaki is the current and third President of the republic of Kenya.Kibaki was previously Vice President of Kenya for ten years from 1978–1988 and also held cabinet ministerial positions, including a widely acclaimed stint as Minister for Finance , Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for...
have voiced confidence that the dispute, including fishing rights, will be resolved amicably.
External links
- AFP news report from the island from July 2009 (hosted on YouTube.comYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
)