- A high-level Ugandan military delegation led by Major General Francis Takirwa visited Kenya for a benchmarking mission with the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF)
- The team was hosted by Brigadier Peter Limo at Moi Air Base and toured DEFWES facilities, including the DEFWES Mall in Embakasi
- The visit came days after President Yoweri Museveni warned of possible future wars over access to the Indian Ocean
- Museveni’s remarks reignited debate on regional integration, with Uganda heavily relying on Kenya’s coastal ports
Didacus Malowa, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.
Uganda’s military has sent a high-level delegation to Nairobi for a benchmarking mission with the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF).
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The mission comes after President Yoweri Museveni warned of possible wars over access to the critical Indian Ocean.
Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) delegation, led by Deputy Commander Land Force Major General Francis Takirwa, visited the Defence Forces Welfare Services (DEFWES) headquarters at Moi Air Base in Eastleigh.
What Uganda came to learn from KDF
According to the KDF, the team was hosted by Brigadier Peter Limo, the Managing Director of DEFWES.
Limo explained to the UPDF delegation Kenya’s comprehensive approach to military welfare, veterans’ care, and post-service support systems.
The visit aimed to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two armies and promote the exchange of ideas on welfare management, housing, healthcare, and education for soldiers and their families.
Major General Takirwa’s team also toured DEFWES facilities, including its warehouse and the DEFWES Mall in Embakasi, which supports military families.
The visitors were also briefed on how KDF runs its cooperative societies, manages veterans’ welfare programs, and implements sustainable income-generating ventures that benefit serving members and retirees alike.
During the courtesy call on Kenya Air Force Commander Major General Bernard Waliaula, the Ugandan delegation was urged to identify practical models that could be emulated to improve the UPDF.
UPDF’s Takirwa praised the KDF for what he described as an innovative and structured welfare system, stressing that Uganda would adopt lessons from the visit.
“Thank you DEFWES officials for your time in making us understand your Defence Welfare Service, and by the end of this trip we will emulate the knowledge and embrace the visit again,” Takirwa stated.
Why UPDF’s visit to Kenya matters now?
While the visit was officially framed as a technical exchange on welfare management, its timing will stir regional interest as it comes after Museveni’s strong warning about future wars.
Museveni accused coastal African nations of unfairly denying landlocked states like Uganda access to the Indian Ocean.
He compared the continent’s geography to a condominium block, arguing that all countries, regardless of location, should have equal rights to the shared “compound.”
“How can you say that you are in a block of flats and that the compound belongs only to the flats on the ground floor? That compound belongs to the whole block. Uganda is landlocked inside here. But where is my ocean? My ocean is the Indian Ocean. It belongs to me,” Museveni said.
He painted the idea of exclusive ownership of the ocean as madness, warning that such arrangements could trigger wars in the future.
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Museveni also lamented that Uganda’s lack of direct sea access had complicated efforts to build a naval unit for defence and had limited economic growth.
The Ugandan president further recounted long-standing infrastructure disputes with Kenya over railways and pipelines that connect Uganda to the coast.
“The political organisation in Africa is irrational. Some countries have no access to the sea, not only for economic purposes but also for defence purposes. In the future we’re going to have wars,” he warned.
Kenya’s coastal ports, particularly Mombasa, serve as vital gateways for Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
How did Kenya respond to Museveni’s threat?
As earlier reported, the Kenyan government dismissed Museveni’s assertions of future war over access to the Indian Ocean via the Port of Mombasa.
Korir Sing’Oei, Principal Secretary at the Foreign Affairs ministry, said Museveni’s comments appeared metaphorical and affirmed Kenya’s respect for territorial and maritime rights.
Kenya stressed its commitment to regional cooperation, peace and the rule of international law despite the tension between the two East African states.
Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
