The island of Migingo, is one of Lake Victoria’s many inhabited islands. Today Migingo acts as a crucial stop-over point for local fishermen as its waters are rich with Nile Perch and Tilapia. The island is a tiny 2000m² and is almost entirely covered by small metal houses. Its accessibility and proximity to the rich fishing areas made it a contentious piece of land in the early 1990’s since Lake Victoria has three bordering countries, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. Unfortunately, Migingo still has no idea who it belongs to, and if you ask each country, they claim it belongs to them.

In 1991, two Kenyan fishermen, Dalmas Tembo and George Kibebe, set foot on Migingo Island. They claimed to be the island’s first inhabitants, arriving to find it overgrown with weeds and teeming with birds. Seeing potential in this untouched piece of land, they decided to call it home.

Fast forward to 2004, and the story takes an intriguing turn. A Ugandan fisherman arrives on Migingo Island, only to find an old abandoned house. Undeterred, he decides to settle there, claiming the island as his own. Later that year, tensions began to rise. The Kenyan government reported that Ugandan marine police had set up camp on Migingo Island. Not only did they pitch a tent, but they also raised the Ugandan flag alongside their police department’s emblem.

By February 2009, the situation had escalated. Kenyan residents on Migingo found themselves in a difficult position when they were instructed to acquire special permits from the Ugandan government to fish near the island. In response, on March 12, 2009, the Ugandan government proposed a potential solution. They suggested resolving the matter through a survey, utilizing boundaries laid out in the Kenya Colony and Protectorate Order in Council of 1926. While this solution held for a few years, conflicts continued to flare up intermittently. During a recent meeting on the island, tensions reached a peak when Kenyan officials reportedly called their Ugandan counterparts “hyenas.” This incident has only deepened the animosity between the two sides.