"I Am Entitled To It": Museveni Warns of Future Wars With Kenya Over Access To Indian Ocean
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has issued a warning to Kenya, saying his landlocked country is entitled to access the Indian Ocean and urging East African nations to unite economically to prevent future conflicts.
Speaking in an interview on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, Museveni highlighted the challenges faced by landlocked countries like Uganda, describing Africa’s current political borders as irrational and limiting for trade and defence.
“The political organisation in Africa is so irrational. Some of the countries have no access to the sea. For economic purposes, but also for defence purposes, you are stuck. How do I export my products?” he stated.
Museveni said Uganda cannot build a navy or independently export its products because it has no coastline.
“That’s why I say, you people, why don’t you see how to unite? Because in Uganda, even if you wanted to build a navy, how could you build it? We don’t have access to the sea,” Museveni said.
Dependence on neighbours
Museveni expressed frustration over Uganda’s reliance on neighbouring countries, particularly Kenya, for trade infrastructure.
“That’s why we have endless discussions with Kenya, then this one, this one stopped, then another one comes, and then… The railway, the pipeline, the water – we discuss. But that ocean belongs to me because where is my ocean? I’m entitled to that ocean,” he said.
Museveni compared Africa to a block of flats where only the flats on the ground floor have access to the compound, while those on the upper floors are excluded.
“How can you say that you are in a block of flats and that the compound belongs to only the flats on the ground floor? The compound belongs to the whole block. All the flats are entitled to the compound,” he said.
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He stressed that Uganda, being landlocked, should still benefit from the Indian Ocean, noting it is unreasonable for only coastal nations to enjoy access while landlocked countries are left isolated, calling the situation “madness”.
“My ocean is the Indian Ocean. It really belongs to me. I’m on the top floor of the block, and then you say the compound belongs only to the ones on the ground floor. This is madness,” he lamented.
Museveni urged East African nations to unite economically for prosperity and global strength.
“You’d better unite economically for the sake of prosperity, if you want prosperity Market. But if you want stability and also strength in the world, so that you can go to the moon, you can go to the moon. The ones who have been to the moon are big ones, not small people,” he said.
