When President Museveni declared in an interview:
“That ocean belongs to me. Because it is my ocean. I am entitled to that ocean. In future, we are going to have wars.”
He continued:
“Uganda is landlocked inside here. But where is my ocean? My ocean is the Indian Ocean. No! No! It belongs to… Really! Me! I am on the top floor of the block and then you say the compound belongs to the ones on the ground floor.”
Many Kenyans rushed in with jokes, memes, and sharp commentary. Social-media lit up with endless satire: Uganda building a navy, Kampala claiming beachfront property, Kenyans promising to “defend the coastline at all costs.” Entertaining? Yes. Accurate? Not at all.
The problem is simple: Kenyans took the statement literally when it was meant metaphorically.
Museveni wasn’t talking about territorial ownership or military ambition. He wasn’t suggesting Uganda is preparing to seize Kenya’s coast. What he was pointing out — in his usual dramatic style — is that landlocked countries face real economic and strategic disadvantages when oceans and access routes are treated as exclusive assets rather than shared pathways.
He Was Talking About Rights, Not Territory
Museveni’s words were rooted in a principle long acknowledged worldwide: landlocked nations have rights to access the sea. The point was never about annexing Kenya’s coast; it was about the frustrations that come with dependence on a neighbour’s infrastructure and policies.
When he compared Uganda to someone living on the “top floor of a block of flats” who still deserves to use the “compound,” he was talking about fairness — a landlocked state relying entirely on others for exports, imports, trade routes, and maritime access. That dependency can become a vulnerability — and it often has.
His message was not, “Kenya’s coast is mine.” It was, “Uganda has a right to secure, dependable access to external markets and shared infrastructure.”
A Warning About Inequality, Not a Threat of Conflict
Some Kenyans interpreted his comments as aggressive or militaristic. But Museveni made similar remarks before: when access to the sea becomes politicised or restricted, it can spark tension. He was describing a structural risk: denying landlocked nations equitable access creates frustration, and frustration creates instability. His statement was dramatic, yes — but the underlying argument was integration, not invasion.
Regional Integration Is the Real Message
Strip away the humour and the headline-grabbing sentence: what Museveni was saying is simple — East Africa will only thrive if its nations cooperate instead of clinging to old mindsets of exclusivity. A stronger region requires shared infrastructure, open corridors, reliable port access, and a mindset that views the Indian Ocean as a gateway for all, not a fortress for some.
Uganda’s growth is tied to Kenya’s ports. Kenya benefits from Uganda’s trade volume. Tanzania benefits when either country uses its routes. No one gains from exclusion. Museveni’s bold phrasing was designed to provoke reflection — not conflict.
Kenyans Should Look Past the Soundbite
While the memes were funny and the quips flew fast, the backlash missed the deeper point. By treating Museveni’s remark as a literal territorial claim, many Kenyans ignored a serious underlying issue: landlocked countries constantly struggle with high transport costs, political vulnerability, delays, shifting port policies and dependence on neighbours’ infrastructure.
When Museveni speaks of the ocean as “belonging” to Uganda, he’s expressing a desire for a fairer system — not planning a naval invasion.
The quote stands:
“That ocean belongs to me. Because it is my ocean. I am entitled to that ocean. In future, we are going to have wars.”
But read in context, it becomes a metaphor for frustration over unequal access.
The Takeaway
Museveni’s statement came out bold, yes. Reckless? Maybe. A territorial claim? Absolutely not.
Kenyans laughed because they took it literally. But if they had listened, they would have realised the deeper message: the sea is not just Kenya’s to control — it’s a shared resource in a region that should be thinking bigger than borders.
The Indian Ocean doesn’t literally “belong” to Uganda — and Museveni knows that. But neither should it feel completely out of reach for a country that depends on it for survival.
East Africa rises together, or it stays stuck in the past.
