Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has stirred fresh tensions in Eastern Africa after warning of future wars in a bid to secure Uganda’s access to the Indian Ocean.
Museveni, speaking during a campaign radio interview in Mbale City, said it was “madness” for a landlocked nation to be denied access to the sea, insisting Uganda was “entitled” to the ocean on economic and security grounds.
“Even if you want to build a navy, how can you do so without access to the sea? That ocean belongs to me because it is my ocean. I am entitled to it. In the future, we are going to have wars,” Museveni said.
Kenya’s government played down the remarks. Foreign Affairs Minister Musalia Mudavadi said Nairobi remained committed to supporting its neighbours. “Kenya is a responsible member of the international community, and it is in our interest to facilitate any landlocked country that wishes to use the Port of Mombasa,” he said.
Rising sensitivity in an already fragile region
Analysts warn that the comments should not be dismissed. Several Eastern African states are already grappling with territorial and maritime tensions.
Kenya and Uganda continue to spar over the tiny but strategically located Migingo Island on Lake Victoria, with Kenyan fishermen occasionally arrested by Ugandan authorities for alleged boundary violations.
Kenya and Somalia also remain at odds over a swathe of the Indian Ocean rich in potential hydrocarbons and fisheries. Although the International Court of Justice ruled essentially in Somalia’s favour in 2021, Kenya rejected the verdict.
Further north, Ethiopia and Somalia are locked in a simmering dispute over maritime access. A controversial 2024 port and security deal between Addis Ababa and Somaliland — which Mogadishu condemned as a breach of sovereignty — has heightened tensions. Ethiopia maintains that the agreement is essential for national security.
Dr Michael Ndonye, a political analyst, said Museveni’s comments reflect more profound frustration. “Museveni cannot utter such words without a hidden trigger.
Not once has the leader expressed frustration with Kenya over the never-ending negotiations over Uganda’s access to the Indian Ocean through the pipeline and the railway,” he told Allen Dreyfus.
Uganda depends heavily on the Port of Mombasa for fuel imports and other essential goods — a reliance that makes maritime access a core strategic concern for Kampala.
