By President Yoweri Museveni has issued a clarification following widespread debate and a wave of online satire over his recent remarks suggesting that Uganda is “entitled” to the Indian Ocean despite being landlocked.
While campaigning in Eastern Uganda, Museveni had argued that Uganda has a natural right to access the sea for both economic and security reasons. He criticized what he described as irrational colonial-era borders that left some African countries without direct access to the ocean.
The remarks ignited an unprecedented torrent of reactions across East Africa. Social media platforms were flooded with memes, redrawn maps, and comic skits imagining scenarios where Uganda suddenly acquires a coastline.
From Ugandans humorously “marching” to the ocean, to Kenyans jokingly reinforcing their borders, the speech became a regional trending topic for days.
The comments are believed to have partly informed a visit by Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, Musalia Mudavadi, who held private talks with President Museveni. Although official details of their discussion remain undisclosed, diplomatic observers linked the visit to the geopolitical debate triggered by the President’s statements.
MUSEVENI: I WAS CALLING FOR STRONGER EAC SECURITY UNITY
Following the meeting, Museveni issued a more detailed explanation, saying his statements were misconstrued and were never intended as a territorial claim on Kenya’s or Tanzania’s coastline.
“The issue of strategic security is where I talked about the Indian Ocean,” he said. “Even if we are together in the East African Community, we don’t plan defence together. Kenya has its own defence, Uganda has its own.”
He added that major global powers such as the United States, China, Russia, and India have made advancements in space, technology, and naval power, while African states remain divided and therefore vulnerable.
“That is why I was talking of political federation,” Museveni clarified, arguing that a unified East Africa would be better positioned to defend its collective interests, including maritime security.
LEGAL CONTEXT AND ECONOMIC BACKDROP
The debate comes months after Uganda enacted a new law empowering the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) to import petroleum products directly from refineries abroad, bypassing Kenyan middlemen. The change strained Kampala–Nairobi energy relations and added context to Museveni’s frustrations over dependency on transit routes.
International law also plays a role. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), landlocked states have the right to access and use the sea for international trade. Kenya and Tanzania both coastal states are required to allow Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Burundi freedom of transit.
However, this right does not extend to ownership or sovereignty over coastal territory.
