{"id":124993,"date":"2025-11-19T17:06:01","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T17:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/11\/19\/eu-understands-musevenis-remarks-on-sea-access-urges-cooperation\/"},"modified":"2025-11-19T17:06:01","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T17:06:01","slug":"eu-understands-musevenis-remarks-on-sea-access-urges-cooperation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/eu-understands-musevenis-remarks-on-sea-access-urges-cooperation\/","title":{"rendered":"EU \u2018understands\u2019 Museveni\u2019s remarks on sea access, urges cooperation"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 19 \u2014 The European Union Ambassador to Kenya, Henriette Geiger, has weighed in on a new debate on on landlocked countries\u2019 access to the Indian Ocean<\/strong> urging cooperation to address the concerns.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Commenting on the debate debate triggered by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni\u2019s recent remarks she said concerns of such states are valid but must not lead to confrontation.<\/p>\n

Speaking in Nairobi on Tuesday, Geiger \u2014 who also serves as the EU\u2019s Permanent Representative to UNEP and UN-Habitat \u2014 said she \u201cunderstands the concerns of landlocked countries\u201d such as Uganda, but emphasized that existing regional frameworks already provide avenues for mutually beneficial solutions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the mainland countries \u2014 the so-called landlocked countries \u2014 of course have a keen interest that their trade flows and the goods they\u2019re importing and exporting are quickly and cost-effectively dispatched,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, I fully understand the concerns of landlocked countries because they depend on the efficiency of those who have the ports. But in all of these cases, solutions can be found.\u201d<\/p>\n

Geiger noted that rather than escalating political tensions or reopening territorial debates, practical mechanisms already exist to facilitate maritime access for landlocked countries.<\/p>\n

\nKenyans mock Museveni\u2019s \u2018shared ocean\u2019 claim as hotelier Mohammed Hersi leads humorous pushback<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

Regional integration <\/h2>\n

She pointed to the EU\u2019s investment in one-stop border posts, including along the Kenya\u2013Uganda corridor, as an example of cooperation that has significantly improved regional logistics.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was in the past a one-week backlog of trucks is now reduced to several hours,\u201d she said.
\u201cWhere there is a will, there is a way. Landlocked countries have to come to the table and see what can be done. All these imports could also be part of the solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added that the issue is expected to feature in discussions at the 4th EU\u2013Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum scheduled for November 20\u201321 in Brussels, where maritime security, protection of trade routes, and strengthening intercontinental value chains will be key agenda items.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very happy that African countries bordering the Indian Ocean have been invited,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a shared resource like waterways or oceans, governance decisions cannot be made by one country alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Geiger\u2019s comments come days after an online uproar sparked by President Museveni\u2019s assertion that Uganda should have access to the Indian Ocean despite being landlocked.<\/p>\n

\u2018Common compound\u2019<\/h2>\n

During a November 10 address, Museveni likened East African states to tenants in a block of flats, arguing that landlocked countries are entitled to access the \u201ccompound,\u201d meaning the ocean.<\/p>\n

\u201cUganda is landlocked inside here. But where is my ocean? My ocean is the Indian Ocean. It belongs to me!\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m on the top floor of the block, then you say the compound belongs to the ones on the ground floor. This is madness.\u201d<\/p>\n

The analogy drew swift backlash from Kenyans on social media, many dismissing the claim as geographically impossible.<\/p>\n

Tourism promoter Mohammed Hersi led some of the sharpest critiques, noting Uganda already enjoys vast natural resources.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou also enjoy an amazing view at the top apartment,\u201d he wrote. \u201cUganda has the River Nile and one of the biggest shares of Lake Victoria at 45 percent. Can we also use the same analogy to claim part of Lake Victoria?\u201d<\/p>\n

Others mocked the logic behind Museveni\u2019s argument.<\/p>\n

\u201cAssuming he is given the ocean, he will still need land to get to it,\u201d one user posted.<\/p>\n

Transit rights <\/h2>\n

Some Ugandans defended Museveni, arguing that international law supports sea access for landlocked nations \u2014 a principle recognized in global treaties but limited to transit rights, not territorial claims.<\/p>\n

Museveni has previously pushed for expanded regional corridors to Kenyan and Tanzanian ports, but his latest statement has reignited debates on sovereignty, geography, and regional integration.<\/p>\n

Kenya\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has downplayed the controversy, maintaining that relations between Nairobi and Kampala remain \u201csteadfast and cordial.\u201d<\/p>\n

Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing\u2019oei told journalists on November 12 that he was confident Museveni understands Kenya\u2019s territorial boundaries and that no diplomatic tensions are brewing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe very much that he has a fairly great understanding with respect to the nature of our territory and our rights with respect to natural resources,\u201d Sing\u2019oei said.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 19 \u2014 The European Union Ambassador to Kenya, Henriette Geiger, has weighed in on a new debate on on landlocked countries\u2019 access to the Indian Ocean urging cooperation to address the concerns. Commenting on the debate debate triggered by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni\u2019s recent remarks she said concerns of such states are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-124993","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124993","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=124993"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124993\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=124993"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=124993"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=124993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}