Kenya-Uganda meet to chart cross border peace and development
Kenya and Uganda meet to chart cross border peace and development
Nairobi, Tuesday, September 24 2024
A meeting between delegates drawn from Kenya and Uganda kicked off today in Nairobi to deliberate and agree on peace, security and development along their common border.
The meeting will among other issues consider and review the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two sister nations regarding cross border programme for sustainable peace and development that focused on the Karamoja, Turkana and West Pokot common border areas.
Some of the issues under discussion will be reduction of hostilities between neighbouring communities, elimination of illegal flow of arms and ammunition, the empowerment of local and county
governments to prevent conflicts and promote sustainable peace.
Others are peace building, community resilience, conflict management and resolution, cross border trade and investment and elimination of harmful practices like Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
The MoU under review also covers improvement of livelihoods, food security and basic social services, improving infrastructure, free movement of people, livestock and commodities among others cross border security and development issues.
Further, the three-day meeting will also discuss the right to access shared resources between border communities of the Turkana and Pokot of Kenya and the Karamoja and Sebei of Uganda.
Speaking during the opening ceremony, Kenya's Leader of delegation Maria Cherono said the primary goal of the bilateral engagement was to promote peaceful coexistence and improve livelihoods and socio-economic conditions for sustainable peace and development.
"I believe that our collaboration on this initiative will not only benefit the communities we serve but also strengthen our partnership and contribute to our shared goals of promoting peace and development across borders", she said.
Her Ugandan counterpart Dr. Andrew Musiime said the discussions would also focus on long-term peace and investments in the border areas.
The meeting will culminate in signing of agreements by Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for East African Community, ASALs and Regional Development Mrs. Beatrice Moe and Uganda's First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs Rebecca Kadaga.
Ends...