A)********Chesire said in a statement issued on October 17 that the committee found that conflicts along the Kenya-Ugandan border are primarily due to bad governance and undesirable policies.*******
B)******"The ownership of illicit arms by the local population has led to a spiral of violence among ordinary citizens of the two countries.
C)*******The selective arming of ethnic groups by the two governments has complicated conflict resolution and management efforts," the statement reads.
MPs Pin Govt On Rustling
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The Monitor (Kampala)
October 20, 2003
Posted to the web October 20, 2003
Alex B. Atuhaire
Kampala
Cross-border conflicts between Kenya and Uganda are because of bad governance, members of the East African Legislative Assembly have said.
Mr Sam Chesire said a committee mandated in June by the East African Parliament to investigate cattle rustling along the Kenya-Uganda border and fishing disputes on Lake Victoria presented its report on October 14 in Arusha, Tanzania.
Chesire is the liaison officer of the EALA and a member of the committee.
Chesire said in a statement issued on October 17 that the committee found that conflicts along the Kenya-Ugandan border are primarily due to bad governance and undesirable policies.
"The ownership of illicit arms by the local population has led to a spiral of violence among ordinary citizens of the two countries. The selective arming of ethnic groups by the two governments has complicated conflict resolution and management efforts," the statement reads.
The MPs recommended that Kenya and Uganda should strive to adopt joint disarmament programmes.
This should be done to check trade in illicit arms and seal the routes used by illegal gun traders.
The MPs also proposed the creation of a responsive regional security body, charged with the task of disarming the warring communities. On the fishing disputes, the MPs asked for the immediate removal of boundaries on the lake.
They said boundaries are a source of unnecessary conflicts and misery to the people of East Africa.
The MPs also want an autonomous body created to manage and regulate fishing on Lake Victoria.
