By Our Reporters
There are credible fears that the bad blood (resulting from Kenya’s wish to benefit from the proposed closure of the UN Regional Service Center in Entebbe) could escalate and further complicate diplomatic relations between Kampala and Nairobi. In multiple off-the-record interactions with this news website, senior officials thickly involved in Uganda’s diplomatic maneuvers expressed concern that President Museveni and Minister Sam Kutesa (his points-man on foreign relations) are increasingly getting uncomfortable with subtle but hostile actions of some in the Kenyan government. “It’s very frightening and if God doesn’t help us, these simmering differences, resulting from Kenya’s selfishness and dishonesty, could even kill off the EAC,” said a senior Foreign Affairs official. The official who has generally been in many diplomatically-very important meetings, accompanying both Museveni and Kutesa, added that Uganda has always given concessions in the spirit of the EAC comradeship but the Kenyans have rarely reciprocated. “They really owe us a lot because, using his seniority and influence, Mzee has always been there for them. But they seem to be taking our decency and restraint for a weakness. Yes there is lobbying and that is accepted but in their case it’s a combination of lobbying and underhand methods clearly meant to humiliate the leadership of Uganda,” the source explained clearly seeming to be very agitated with the Kenyans’ shrewdness. “Now take the example of the Regional Service Center being relocated from Entebbe. This is clearly an act of selfishness and desire to humiliate the Ugandan leadership as incapable of lobbying for their people. They already have much more in terms of hosting things symbolizing the UN presence and with our service center at Entebbe, we aren’t reaping even 20% of what they are reaping from the numerous UN agencies they are hosting including Habitat International.” Asked why he/she thinks Kenya owes Uganda a lot, the source said “When their leaders faced ICC its Mzee who led the efforts to decampaign the indictments until the west was subdued and they let go. It was him who repeatedly exposed the ICC’s inconsistences and double standards. Yes you might say Mzee had his own fears that the successful prosecution of Kenyan leaders would diminish his space but they haven’t reciprocated us for the risks he took at all. Do you how many international relationships became complicated for Uganda because of the Pan-African stand Mzee took on that ICC issue?” The source also reflected on the big UNEP center in Nairobi saying some years ago, the Germans were determined to see that Kenya loses it but they (Germans) were successfully fought off because of the strong solidarity the Great Lakes region put up with Uganda being the most outspoken against the Germans. “Mzee did all this not because he wanted to patronize anybody in the region. No. It was because he felt it was the best position to take because to him anything that hurts a member state, hurts the entire EAC Bloc. That’s the spirit we have always had but our Kenyan brothers seem to be taking us for weaklings.” Another foreign ministry top official said if Kenya was well-intentioned, the anxiety that has been created by the proposal to diminish the UN presence at the Entebbe Service Center wouldn’t have arose in the first place. “Malaysia had an opportunity for the Asian region but they said no sir. We aren’t interested in your center please take it elsewhere. What does it cost our Kenyan brothers to say please don’t relocate those activities from the Entebbe Center to Nairobi? I don’t think anybody at the UN will force them to have those activities transferred to Nairobi once they withdraw their bid and clearly say let it remain in Uganda. But they can’t do that because they are too selfish and might inadvertently end up playing in the hands of many world powers who are envious of a cohesive, assertive and economically vibrant EAC.” The official added that in the latest Service Center saga, the Ugandan veteran leader is even reluctant engaging his Kenyan counterpart “Because the assumption is that these are our EAC brothers and they know what is best for our bilateral relationship. They don’t need any prompting.”
REVENGING THE AMINA FALL;
Another official explained that the Kenyan uneasiness and silent sabotage against Uganda resulted from the failure by Amina Mohamed (their ex-foreign minister) to scoop the post of AU Chairperson. “We did all we could to campaign and ensure their candidate wins but can you imagine they started saying we lost because Uganda stabbed us in the back? And since that time they have always been looking for an opportunity to humiliate Uganda at the international stage and this Entebbe Service Center saga seems to be the latest opportunity they are trying out,” said a source recalling how Sam Kutesa one time lost his cool and told off the Kenyan diplomatic officials. “He asked them that by the way, if you don’t accept our explanation, who says we were meant to support your candidate in the first place?” Sources say this remark, which SK made in a jocular way, rubbed Kenyan officials the wrong way and prolonged the healing of the electoral wounds their candidate Amina sustained in Addis Ababa regarding her AU bid. It will be recalled that Uganda’s original candidate was ex-VP Specioza Kazibwe who trailed badly during an AU gathering in Kigali and having learnt bitter lessons, Museveni withdrew her and actively backed Kenya’s Amina Mohamed. “It hurts that up to this day the Kenyans don’t believe that Mzee genuinely supported their candidate,” says a diplomatic source that has always operated in close supervision of both Museveni and SK. As the debate rages to retain the regional Service Center at Entebbe, Ugandan lobbyists at the UN have argued that Uganda is more suitable to retain the full Center because “it’s relatively cheaper, security-wise more stable than Nairobi, has good weather and good schools of internationally-acceptable standards” within the Entebbe hinterland. Having failed to discount all these credentials for Uganda, there is fury at Kutesa’s ministry that Kenyan lobbyists have resorted to saying “Uganda has no medical facilities and hospitals suitable for a large concentration of UN staff at Entebbe.” All this information has been reaching Museveni and SK and the two powerful men are very irritated about this betrayal by the Kenyan brothers.
THE SGR FEUD;
There are other ways in which Kenya has subtly been seeking to revenge on Uganda regarding the Amina humiliation in Addis. Kenya currently chairs the Northern Corridor initiative under which EAC countries jointly plan infrastructural programs but in order to hurt Uganda and to an extent Tanzania, the Kenyans have been reluctant to call the North Corridor meetings and this has stalled discussions on many joint infrastructural projects. “We know for a fact that they are unhappy because Uganda partnered with Tanzania to have the pipeline. This was based on purely economic reasons and not desire to politically weaken Uhuru to whom this [starting the pipeline from Mombasa] was about creating jobs and reaping the political dividend. They have oil but in very negligible quantities but Tanzania has gas in vast quantities and partnering with it made economic sense. It hurt them very much and Mzee and Magufuli are very much aware of that anger,” explained a source. Sources further told this news website that Mzee is unhappy with the way Kenyans have maliciously contributed to the continued delay in the commencement of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) construction on the Ugandan side. “Because he wanted to politically shine and get votes in return, UK [Uhuru Kenyatta] rushed to build the SGR on the Kenyan side and ended up delivering a diesel-powered locomotive as opposed to the electric one. This of course diminished his ratings before the Chinese funders because it amounted to departing from the originally agreed standards for the SGR. Our Kenyan brothers instead of accepting their mistake started saying this is Uganda bad-mouthing us among the Chinese and to us that is being petty,” the official explained. “On our part as Uganda, Mzee remains unhappy that the Kenyan [SGR] line stopped at Kisumu and that distance to Malaba was supposed to be done by Kenya. They have refused saying Uganda should fund that part from Kisumu to Malaba and that can’t be because it’s on the Kenyan soil. It’s a lot of money and there is no way Mzee can dare even promise to find it. By doing that they haven’t only delayed us to start but have also complicated our relationship with Rwandans because they can’t start theirs until our SGR line reaches Katuna.” The official added that the Kenyan sabotage is part of the reason why the Ugandan president has lately been towing with the idea of halting the SGR and instead first sufficiently invest in electricity infrastructure. “And he has a point because what was agreed on with the Chinese funders from day one was an electric SGR for the whole of EAC and you must have power for the railway system to operate efficiently but to also boost production for the exports to be carried on the SGR.” Quoting the East African newspaper of this week, the Foreign Affairs official said; “It’s good their selfishness hasn’t only targeted Uganda but other partner states. They have commenced underhand efforts to get the East African Court of Justice shifted from Tanzania to Nairobi and this shows their failure to appreciate that the EAC bloc is about give and take because you can’t have everything at the expense of fellow partner states.” Asked where this could end, another diplomatic official feared that “it might escalate to something worse because whereas Mzee and Magufuli have always acted courteously and fairly, our Kenyan brothers are up to something different. It’s about them and them only.” The official added that “They are already unhappy with the UN Secretary General’s latest letter re-assuring Uganda on the continued stay of the Entebbe Service Center and I fear to even guess at what point they are going to realize that Uganda is already hurting even if only 10% of the Entebbe Center activities are relocated to Nairobi.” The official stressed that the only way to re-assure Uganda and expeditiously de-escalate things is for Nairobi to withdraw their interest in partaking of whatever Uganda risks to lose at the Entebbe Center and accompany that with an unambiguous declaration of support for Uganda to retain the Entebbe Center 100% “without anything being taken away.” For comments, call/text/whatsapp us on 0703164755!
