President William Ruto has assured that Kenya-Uganda relations are intact, despite a social media tirade launched by President Yoweri Museveni’s military son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who threatened to invade Nairobi.
President Ruto stated during Uganda’s 60th independence anniversary celebrations that Kenya and Uganda will remain friends in pursuit of the East African Community (EAC) region’s prosperity.
“It is very clear to us that we cannot share poverty and we cannot share hunger but we can share opportunity and we can share prosperity,” Ruto said.
President Ruto challenged his counterpart Museveni to lead those efforts and begin by addressing the region’s border challenges.
“As our elder, you have the challenge to lead the charge on ensuring that we bring down the boundaries and the barriers so that we can have a borderless East African community,” he said.
He bemoaned how the region’s untapped growth had been hampered by border issues.
“It is our place as leaders and citizens of the East Africa region to work together so that we can transform our borders which today stand out as barriers and convert them to bridges so that goods, services, and people can move across the region without any impediment,” he said.
President Ruto stated the leaders in the region look up to Museveni to lead them.
“With age and with experience comes responsibility. You have the age and the experience, take the responsibility and lead the charge,” he said.
The relationship between Kenya and Uganda was put to the test last week when President Museveni’s son, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, made remarks that were widely condemned in Kenya.
President Museveni acted quickly, averting a diplomatic squabble, and apologized to Kenyans and President Ruto personally.
“I ask our Kenyan brothers and sisters to forgive us,” Museveni said.
