President William Ruto has broken his silence on the relationship with Uganda amid reports that the East African nation was preparing to wage war over access to the Indian Ocean.
Ruto, while speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Devki Steel Factory in Osukuru, Tororo District, Uganda, dismissed claims of an impending feud with Uganda as he criticised sections of the media for allegedly exaggerating Uganda's position on the matter.
"I know people in the journalist space try to create an impression that Uganda had said something to the effect that they need to access the sea by any means," the President said.
"Let me assure the naysayers that Uganda and Kenya are brothers and sisters."
Earlier in November, reports were rife that Museveni threatened to wage war on other East African countries located along the shoreline to gain uninterrupted access to the Indian Ocean.
The report further claimed that Uganda had intentions to build a navy, but that would be impossible without access to an ocean, hence the push from the landlocked country to have access to coastlines.
However amid reports of an impending war between Kenya and Uganda, President Ruto on Sunday, November 23 clarified that the two countries enjoyed a healthy relationship which would not be deteriorated by a feud over the Indian Ocean.
According to the president, Uganda was at liberty to access the Kenyan coastline, since the two nations were already in talks for further infrastructural collaborations.
Ruto went on, "Uganda is assured of access to the sea through Kenya, and that is why we are not only extending the pipeline, we are also extending the road and the railway. Kenya and Uganda are brothers and sisters, and we do no have time for negative engagement.
In the wake of Museveni's earlier comments about infiltrating the Kenyan and Tanzanian coastlines, the Ugandan Head of State clarified that his earlier explosive statements were rooted in a push for political federation within the East African Community.
According to Museveni, such a federation would go beyond the current customs union to integrate political, economic and millitary decision-making across the borders.
Meanwhile, during the same engagement on Sunday, President Ruto confirmed Kenya and Uganda will jointly own shares in the Kenya Pipeline Company once the privatisation process is completed.
