President Museveni shakes hands with President William Ruto in Nairobi
By Samson Mulumba
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation Foreign Service Affairs with his Kenyan counterpart President William Samuel Ruto.
This follows President Museveni’s three days visit to Kenya at invitation of His Excellency President Ruto and was accompanied by the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Affairs Rebecca Kadaga , State minister of State in charge of Regional Affairs and other Senior Government Officials.
“I am grateful to President Ruto for the invitation to discuss important issues affecting our two nations and East Africa. The agreements we signed during my visit carry the weight of historical context, aligning with our long-awaited missions.’’ Museveni’s X handle reads in parts.
He also went ahead to say, “ Over 60 years ago, Africa gained independence, yet the true depth of our historical mission remained unexplored (Uhuru na Umoja).’’
Therefore“ I was delighted today, to witness the gradual crystallization of the three historical missions.’’
President Museveni still on his X-handle state that, the discussion with President Ruto and agreements centered on aspects such Prosperity for Citizens of the two countries, Strategic Security of Africa through Political Integration, brotherhood (Undungu).
He also stated that if the East African Community (EAC) had one what they were supposed to do, the Federation would have been established many years ago, the region would have made significant progress and possibly avoided challenges like the poor governance in Uganda, genocides in Rwanda and Burundi.
“ When His Excellency invites me to Kenya and we sign all these agreements, we are working towards the prosperity of our citizens, through wealth creation and market access.’’
Prior to signing of MOU, the two heads of State first engaged in High-level bilateral discussions in Nairobi on 16th May, 2024. The discussions according to a document issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Bagiire Vincent Waiswa, focused on bilateral, region and multilateral issues of mutual interest.
The Heads of State also reaffirmed their commitment to continue developing bilateral cooperation in areas of transport infrastructures, trade and investment, immigration, peace and security and fight against terrorism.
They also recalled the deep historical bonds of friendship that existed before the breakdown of the EAC in the 1970s that should be revived.
The State Visit according to Bagiire’s document was preceded by the second Session of the Joint Ministerial Commission for Cooperation (JMC) which was held from 12th -14th May, 2024, in Kampala.