Ruto Downplays Museveni’s ‘Madness’ Warning, Blames Media for Misreporting

President William Ruto has dismissed media reports suggesting that there is growing tension between Kenya and Uganda over access to the Indian Ocean, terming the speculations as misleading and sensational.

During the groundbreaking of the Devki Steel Factory in Tororo District, Uganda, on Sunday, Ruto accused some journalists of misrepresenting comments made by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.

“I know people in the journalism space tried to create an impression that Uganda had said something to the effect that they need to access the sea by any means,” Ruto said.

The President stated that Kenya and Uganda share deep historical, social, and economic ties and insisted that nothing threatens the stability of the two nations. He urged critics and political commentators to abandon what he termed “negative engagement” that fuels unnecessary tension.

“I am very confident with the progress we have made as a region. I want to assure the naysayers that Uganda and Kenya are sisters; we do not have time for negative engagement,” Ruto added.

He stressed that Uganda is fully assured of access to the sea through Kenya, noting the ongoing joint efforts at strengthening regional integration.

“Uganda is assured of the access to the sea through Kenya … that is why we are not only extending the pipeline, we are also extending the road, and we are also extending the railway,” he said.

Ruto underscored the need for both countries to focus on “progress,” pointing to job creation, investment growth, and infrastructure development as the region’s real priorities.

His remarks come after President Museveni made statements on November 11 during a radio interview in Mbale City that many interpreted as a veiled warning to Kenya. Campaigning in the area, Museveni declared that blocking landlocked nations from the sea was “madness” and insisted that Uganda had a right to the Indian Ocean for economic and security reasons.

“Even if you want to build a navy, how can you build it when you don’t have access to the sea? That ocean belongs to me because it is my ocean. I am entitled to it. In the future, we are going to have wars,” Museveni said.

He said the Indian Ocean was crucial for Uganda’s strategic defense, trade routes, and long-term prosperity, warning that only deeper East African Community (EAC) integration could avert future conflicts.

Museveni likened the shared ocean to a common compound.

“How can you say that you are on a block of flats, that the compound belongs only to the flats on the ground floor? That compound belongs to the whole block. All the flats are entitled to the compound. So, I say these people are really endangering themselves,” he said.

“How can you have a situation like this? Uganda is landlocked inside here. But where is my ocean? My ocean is the Indian Ocean. No! No! It belongs to… this and this. This is madness,” Museveni added.

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