•The proposal is outrageous and an insult to landless Kenyans.
•Senator says Ugandans always wanted to extend their boundary to Naivasha.
Image: JACK OWUOR
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni should be given land for a dry port at Naivasha only after surrendering Migingo Island to Kenya, a senator has said.
"The proposal to give Museveni land is outrageous and an insult to Kenyans, many of who don't have land more than 50 years since independence," Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala said on Wednesday.
The land offer was made by President Uhuru Kenyatta a week ago at a meeting with his Ugandan counterpart in Mombasa.
The two discussed ways of enhancing economic ties between the neighbouring countries. They toured the port of Mombasa and travelled to Nairobi by train on the recently-built standard gauge railway
Malala said Museveni should respect Kenyans and return Migingo Island.
"I want to tell President Uhuru that we Western leaders and residents fully support the handshake between him and ODM leader Raila Odinga but if he continues to do things that are out of order we will not shut up. We will tell him the truth."
Malala said that there are many Kenyans who are squatters and internally displaced who deserve to be given land.
The senator said Ugandans had always wanted to extend their boundary to Naivasha but past presidents would have none of it.
The first time senator criticised Uhuru for allowing Museveni to export sugar to Kenya before his report on the commodity is released.
"We have a task force that was formed by Uhuru himself co-chaired by Agriculture CS Mwangi Kiunjuri and my governor Wycliffe Oparanya to look at the issues affecting the sugar sector and it is yet to finish its work. The President ought to have waited for the task force to complete its work before he allows sugar to be imported," he said.
He said more than seven million residents of Western Kenya depended on sugar. The sugar factories like Nzoia are on the verge of collapse. Western leaders want the sugar sector streamlined, he said.
The senator was speaking at Kibabi University during the opening of the National Drama and Film Festival, said Kenyans want action to be taken against corruption masterminds.
"We are seeing in most of these plays corruption being highlighted. Even a class three pupil knows corruption is wrong and we want (DP) Ruto to know that no one will be spared in the war on graft" he said.
The senator said that DCIO and EACC are doing a good job. "I was happy when they netted the Samburu governor and even Lugari MP some time back on corruption charges. Nobody should be spared regardless of their status," Malala said.