Deadly demonstrations in Kenya have spilled over into Uganda’s border district of Busia causing fears of negative effects on the Ugandan economy.
“We interest the government of Uganda to think about the situation in Kenya more seriously, they shouldn’t take it for granted because it has a lot of effect on our economy,” said John Kikonyongo deputy spokesperson of opposition party Forum for Democratic Change (FDC).
Kikonyongo added that If there is a way of working out a solution despite being a foreign country, “I believe it is high time they came in with whatever they could do.”
He has also advised that Kampala lobbies the East African parliament and diplomatic relations at a lower level to prevail over the situation that is likely to affect the country’s economy.
Kikonyogo appealed to Ugandans to store some essentials to prepare in case the situation in Kenya worsens.
“When there is a war in Kenya, automatically Uganda is in danger as far as our economy is concerned. We cannot go into their internal affairs but we must pray to God that whatever happens there doesn’t affect us,” he said.
Kenya’s opposition leader Raila Odinga yesterday called for weekly protests, as clashes erupted between police and supporters demonstrating over the country’s cost-of-living crisis.
The 2007 – 2008 protests were Kenya’s most violent one that saw close to 1, 000 people killed and massive destruction of property in the ensuing clashes.
The violence ended after Odinga and former President the late Mwai Kibaki entered into a power-sharing agreement that birthed the Grand Coalition government.
Violence also took place in the subsequent elections after Odinga disputed the outcome of the election.
In the 2017 post-election violence, it took a peace agreement between Odinga and former President Uhuru Kenyatta for calm to prevail.
After losing the 2022 presidential contest to President William Ruto, Odinga is back at it again on the streets and has accordingly vowed to lead weekly protests every Monday in protest of his stolen victory.
Odinga has been insistent that he does not want to enter into a working agreement with President Ruto.
“I am not looking for a handshake,” he once said.
Instead, Odinga wants the President to make life bearable for the millions of Kenyans who are struggling to make ends meet.
