Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has issued a stern warning that future conflicts could erupt in Africa if landlocked countries continue to be denied access to the Indian Ocean—a critical route for trade and strategic defence.
Speaking on Sunday, November 9, President Museveni described the current situation as unjust, saying it is irrational for coastal countries to claim exclusive ownership of the ocean while their landlocked neighbours remain restricted from access.
“How can you say that you are in a block of flats and that the compound belongs only to the flats on the ground floor? That compound belongs to the whole block,” Museveni said, as quoted by Daily Monitor.
“Uganda is landlocked inside here. But where is my ocean? My ocean is the Indian Ocean. It belongs to me. I am on the top floor of the block, and then you say the compound belongs only to those on the ground floor. This is madness.”
‘I Am Entitled to the Ocean’
The Ugandan leader compared Africa’s geographic layout to a condominium building, arguing that all African nations, regardless of location, should have shared access to the ocean. He noted that restricting ocean access not only hampers trade but also undermines regional security and self-sufficiency.
Museveni lamented that Uganda’s landlocked position has made it impossible for the country to develop a naval defence force, leaving it dependent on neighbouring coastal states.
“In Uganda, even if you want to build a navy, how can you build it? We don’t have access to the sea,” he said. “The political organisation in Africa is so irrational. Some countries have no access to the sea, not only for economic purposes but also for defence purposes. You are stuck.”
Tensions Over Infrastructure and Trade
Museveni also highlighted the recurring challenges Uganda faces in negotiating with Kenya over key trade infrastructure projects—such as railways and oil pipelines—that depend on ocean access.
“That is why we have had endless discussions with Kenya. This one stops, another comes. The railway and the pipeline—we discuss. But that ocean belongs to me. Because it is my ocean. I am entitled to that ocean,” he asserted.
The president warned that if African nations fail to address the issue of equitable ocean access, it could become a source of future wars on the continent.
His comments have sparked widespread discussion across East Africa, with some observers interpreting them as a call for regional integration and fairer trade policies, while others view them as a subtle criticism of Kenya’s control over access routes to the Indian Ocean.
Museveni’s remarks come amid ongoing regional efforts to strengthen the East African Community (EAC) and improve infrastructure links between landlocked and coastal member states.
