THESE LIES WILL NOT HELP EAST AFRICANS IN RECLAIMING THEIR RIGHTS TO THE NILE WATERS

By Wakusira Massa
Kampala, Uganda

MR JERRY OKUNGU

I have read with admiration your columns about a focus by the beneficiaries of the River NileYou have correctly reiterated that Sudan and Egypt signed a treaty with the British government over the use of the Nile waters. You further correctly state that Egypt and Sudan have exclusive rights to 70% and 30% of Nile water respectively, irrespective of countries that occupy the sources of the Nile. Then, this assertion that the annoying thing is that Egypt and Sudan would like us to believe that this unjust document is binding to the region even after fifty years after our own independence.

These lies will not help; you should know that treaties are enforced by military might not by mere utterances or wishes. so to the protection of this natural resource lies in the East African building military capacities which can match the Egyptians military, then we can dare to say no to them, otherwise Egypt has a standby force with envoy at Jinja to monitor and react incase anybody tried to tamper with water flowing into lake Victoria to sustain river Nile, that justifies the reason why Kenya or East Africa should fully develop the capacity to defend the river.

For, if the Sudanese and Egyptians contributed you would in a nutshell be justifying the 1929 treaty. Let Kenya conserve her rivers because they are for the good of the Kenyans as you develop the capacity to regulate the usage.

For your information, Uganda has staked a lot of money in conservation of water catchments in Mount Elgon which enable rivers like Nzoa in Kenya, Iwakha, Kibumba, and then Tirinyi to remain sustainable, Rwanda, Burundi and Congo are also trying within their own capacities to preserve water sources contributing to river Kagera which is the main source to River Nile and others like Semiliki from Mount Rwenzori and River Aswa in Acholiland.

A collection of small rivers from Mount Moroto and neighbouring highland contribute water to the Nile through the Awoja Bridge in Soroti. And no one in Uganda is calling on Kenyans to contribute to this noble cause, for these rivers are the main stay to the local communities living along them, likewise these rivers and forest in the Mau escarpment are there for sustainable environment beneficial to Kenya not Uganda.

You have again a very brilliant idea about construction of Nile water pipelines from Jinja in Uganda and another one from Ethiopian mountains and charge the willing consumers at between $40 and $100 depending on the season. All what you have written is very brilliant and useful but it is summed up in building Military capacity to say no short of that then don’t contemplate.