Uganda President Yoweri Museveni. /YOWERI MUSEVENI/XKenyans have responded with humour to remarks by Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni suggesting that landlocked countries should have access to the Indian Ocean — comments that some interpreted as a veiled warning to neighbouring states.
During a radio interview in Mbale City while on the campaign trail, President Museveni said it was “madness” for countries to block landlocked nations from accessing the sea.
“Even if you want to build a navy, how can you build it when you don’t have access to the sea?” he said.
“That ocean belongs to me because it is my ocean. I am entitled to it. In future, we are going to have wars,” he added.
Uganda, which has no direct access to the sea, is bordered by Kenya to the east, Tanzania to the south, Rwanda to the southwest, the Democratic Republic of Congo to the west, and South Sudan to the north.
President Museveni likened the situation to tenants living in the same apartment block who must share common facilities equally.
"How can you say that you are on a block of flats, that the compound belongs only to those on the ground floor? That compound belongs to the whole block. All the flats are entitled to the compound," he said.
The remarks drew widespread attention after being featured as a front-page story by The Star newspaper on Wednesday, sparking light-hearted debate on social media and during morning radio shows.
At Classic 105, radio host Maina Kageni invited listeners to share their thoughts online — and the responses quickly turned into a wave of comic commentary.
Many downplayed the suggestion of a possible conflict, joking that Kenya’s National Youth Service or even private security guards could handle any such scenario.
“Tutatumia NYS and they will bring Kampala down,” one user joked, prompting laughter online.
Another quipped: “Somebody please tell Museveni that our traffic officers are better than their forces.”
Others playfully suggested Uganda could become Kenya’s “48th county,” while one wrote: “Hope soon there will be a country called Kenyaganda.”
Another Kenyan commented, “He doesn’t need to fight Kenya. He can just go to the Indian Ocean, carry some water, and create his own Indian Ocean in Uganda.”
“If his tailor fears him not, does he imagine we will?” another user wrote, referencing Museveni’s tough image.
Some poked fun at Uganda’s supposed naval ambitions, with one remarking sarcastically: “It’s now that he has realised he has a navy that has been doing nothing since independence.”
Others added a Pan-African twist, suggesting Museveni’s comments reflected his long-standing advocacy for regional unity and shared prosperity.
While the Ugandan leader’s remarks appeared metaphorical, they ignited a wave of satire across Kenyan social media — a hallmark of the country’s vibrant online culture.
Whether intended as humour or political rhetoric, Museveni’s comments once again showed how easily East Africans turn serious political statements into moments of collective amusement.
