Kayihura, Kenyan counterpart visit Migingo island

PIC: Migingo Island has long been at the centre of an ownership dispute between Uganda and Kenya. (AFP)

Uganda's Inspector General of Police Gen. Kale Kayihura and his Kenyan counterpart Joseph Boinnet have visited Migingo island on Lake Victoria.

The two police chiefs, together with their teams, held a joint security meeting with locals and police. They visited the island and assured the locals who reside there of total security.

The visit comes in wake of insecurity pitting the citizens of Kenya and Uganda living on the island.  The island has also been at the center of an ownership dispute between Kenya and Uganda.

Kayihura and Boinnet first held a meeting in Nairobi before visiting the island and agreed to work together in ensuring that peace prevails on the contentious island. They flew in a Kenya police chopper to Muhuru Bay and later rode in a boat to the island on Wednesday.

Boinnet said security personnel from the two countries with residents on Migingo Iwill also hold a joint security patrol as a way of bringing harmony between them and the people living there.

The Kenyan IGP emphasized that Kenyans and Ugandans living on the island must respect the rule of law to avoid friction that has been reported previously, adding that they must do their fishing activity in accordance with the law.

On his part, Kayihura agreed that the islanders must respect the laws of Kenya and Uganda as the two neighbouring nations continue to get a solution over the island.