Kampala — THE GOVERNMENT has described the motion on Migingo Island passed by the Kenyan Parliament on Wednesday as "uncalled for".
The motion, which was resisted by Kenyan ministers, asked President Mwai Kibaki to deploy the military to resolve the border dispute, should diplomatic efforts fail.
It also asked Kibaki to refer the dispute to the UN Security Council if it threatens peace and security in the region.
"I don't think that is called for. We are waiting for the outcome of the border survey. Kenya's action could pre-empt the team's work," said information minister Kabakumba Masiko.
Fred Opolot of the Uganda Media Centre called the motion ridiculous and baseless, saying the Ugandan army is not present in the disputed areas as is alleged.
"It does not hold any water at all. The UPDF has never been deployed on Migingo or in West Pokot. All the Kenyan MPs could have done was to verify these allegations that have been made through the media," Opolot commented.
He said he did not believe the motion represented a consensus in the Kenyan Parliament, since only 47 legislators were present.
"What matters is that the relationship between the governments of Kenya and Uganda is good. Both want to solve the problem diplomatically and amicably. A technical team is on the ground. We all hope that by the end of June the survey will have ended and the result will be known."
The disputed island is home to about 200 people and a docking station for the lucrative fishing area of Lake Victoria.
In February, Nyanza provincial authorities accused Ugandan fisheries officials of trespassing and illegally collecting sh50,000 in annual operation fees in the Kenyan area.
The foreign affairs state minister, Okello Oryem, said Kenyan and Ugandan leaders should have confidence in resolving the row diplomatically.
"There is an ongoing process to survey and determine where Migingo Island belongs. Our Government is willing and ready to honour the decision of the border survey team," Oryem said.
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what our mp,s did in passing the motion is a true reflection of the kenyans majority.the assertion that the ministers opposed it is just a strong face the ugandans are puting on to hide their shame,we know migingo is ours and our brothers fishing there are suffering in the hands of uganda soldiers.paying taxes to occupational force is i llegal and also your forces presence is an insult to our statehood,it is not only migingo,how do you explain kacheliba? we can not sit and watch our president babysiting museveni who history has proved that he can not be trusted with a deal,look at karang,kabila,and even a young rwanda?pull out your troops and a pologise to kenyans and promise never to intrude again or if it happens again,spell out measures we can take on you as a person read(museveni) i also blv most ugandans only fear you not respecting you as a president but a dangerous person who can not be trusted,lastly any kenyan mp who does not support the migingo issue is not living here.and he or she is a hypocrit of the first order.so let our brothers in uganda know that its not them its bad leadership that our legislators are condemning.if i was the president i would have done to museveni what nyerere did to amin in 1979