Migingo: House gives Kibaki nod to deploy military

• Emotional debate in Parliament as MPs ask President Kibaki to take charge of the country’s borders.

Kenya Parliament has given President Kibaki a go-ahead to deploy the military in case diplomacy fails in the ongoing row over Lake Victoria’s Migingo Island.

The House also allowed the President to seek the help of the United Nations Security Council if the matter spills out and threatens regional peace and security.

In a Motion passed by the House Wednesday, the MPs urged President Kibaki, as the Commander in Chief “to use all resources at his disposal to reclaim Kenyan land.”

The radical move, which was sabotaged by the government a fortnight ago, when ministers staged a walkout, sailed through after the government failed to amass the required support.

There was an emotional, even acrimonious, debate as MPs asked President Kibaki to take charge of the country’s borders.

Efforts by Foreign Affairs minister Moses Wetangula and his Information counterpart Samuel Poghisio to oppose the move, and even raise the adequate numbers to force a division failed.

The two opposed the motion and even said the matter was being discussed between President Kibaki and President Yoweri Museveni and already the joint border survey was underway in a bid to resolve the row.

Similarly, an appeal to MPs by assistant minister Peter Munya that the motion was against the spirit of East African Cooperation failed, as they said the government was not doing enough.

The motion, filed under the basis of Uganda infringing the territorial integrity of Kenya when it occupied Migingo Island and Kacheliba in West Pokot, seeks to have Ugandan forces retreat to their country and to “unconditionally commit to respect Kenya’s borders.”

Mr Wetang’ula and Mr Poghisio discounted claims that Ugandan soldiers had occupied Kacheliba .

“The basis of this Motion is wrong and inaccurate since there are no Ugandan soldiers in Kacheliba,” Mr Poghisio, also Kacheliba MP said.

Mr Munya  said the motion was in “bad faith” since the issue was being resolved. 

The action by the august House, comes after President Kibaki broke his silence and pledged military action to protect Kenya’s borders. However, he maintained that diplomacy would be the first line of action.

The architect of the Motion, Ikolomani MP Bonny Khalwale, was all smiles after the motion sailed through and hugged his fellow backbenchers.

In the heated debate, Saboti MP Eugene Wamalwa (PNU), nominated MP Millie Odhiambo (ODM), Turkana Central MP Ekwee Ethuro(PNU), Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo (ODM) and Rarieda’s Nicholas Gumbo (ODM) accused the government of laxity amid harassment from a hostile neighbor.

Mr Wamalwa was categorical that the “wajaluos are mad” slur by Mr Museveni was a total affront to the people of Kenya and not merely “a Luo affair.”

He termed the slur as a slight on a section of Kenyans and warned that the Migingo issue should not be isolated as a Luo affair.

Mr Midiwo accused the minister of wasting taxpayers’ money by “spending resources on a matter whose answer was already known.”