Fishermen on Migingo Island have protested Uganda’s forcible closure of the first and only Kenyan kindergarten in what could spark a fresh diplomatic row between the two East Africa nations, Business Daily reports.
The preschool was recently set up following a collaboration between the office of the Migingo sub-location assistant chief and the locals.
Ms Esther Masaku, the Migingo sub-location assistant chief, said Ugandan security officers stormed the kindergarten and closed it on grounds that the island does not belong to Kenya.
Tensions over Migingo Island — a rocky protrusion covered in tin shacks used mainly by fishermen — have threatened relations between Kenyan and Ugandan.
“This school was set up to serve the children of the locals here but unfortunately the Ugandan officials closed it down today claiming that it is a way of Kenya asserting her ownership of the disputed island,” said Ms Masaku.
The administrator said Ugandan officers based on the island said Kenya has no power to establish a school on the island before consulting the Ugandan government.
She added that they opted to respect the Ugandan officers’ order to close down the school to avoid unnecessary tension between Kenyans and Ugandans living on the island.
The assistant chief said the closure had disrupted learning for many Kenyan children and called for an immediate intervention from Nairobi, saying it was the only avenue for children to access education.
Kenyan and Ugandan police have occupied the island at various times for more than a decade, with the most recent spike in tensions coming after an occupation by officials from Kampala.
Waters round Migingo are rich in fish, whereas other parts of Lake Victoria have been reduced by over-exploitation.
Efforts for the two nations to determine the island’s status through a border survey based on a 1926 accord when both were under British rule have fizzled.
