Uganda president apologizes to Kenya for son’s ill-advised invasion tweets
Uganda president Kizza Besigye has apologized to Kenya for his son’s ill-advised invasion of Kenya’s territory.
The apology came hours ahead of the scheduled departure of one of Ugandan President Kizza Besigye’s sons for the African country.
His apology to Kenya’s President Mwai Kibaki, a Kenyan, came after a row over Ugandan troops operating within Kenyan territory in Lamu in the Western Kenya county.
The row came about after President Kizza Besigye’s son David Kipsang, wanted to send a gun to his father but was barred by Kenyan security forces.
The President has since apologized on Facebook, saying the actions had been against the “ethics.”
David Kipsang is an alleged supporter of the African National Congress.
Uganda and Kenya have strong diplomatic relations and frequent talks on the sidelines of the United Nations and elsewhere.
In response to Besigye’s apology, Mwai Kibaki on Saturday praised his leadership throughout his presidency.
“I would like to congratulate President Kizza Besigye for the leadership he has provided the country by using all his capacity to ensure the safety of the people,” Kibaki said.
“We are blessed and encouraged by the fact that you (Besigye) have kept a sense of moral responsibility which has led to a number of important national security concerns being addressed.”
“I have personally thanked President Kizza Besigye and his family for the good work that was done and the commitment he presented to the country and this can be better communicated to us through this apology,” Kibaki added.
He also thanked Uganda’s Ambassador to Kenya, Muhoozi Kainy, for the role he played in the mediation process and Kipsang’s father for his role in providing security for the family during the visit.
“President Kipsang’s father, Mr. David Kipsang, was also extremely helpful and I thank him for what he did for his children and the community members,” Kibaki said.
He said the cooperation was good in providing security to the family members during the visit.
In addition to the apology, Kibaki also wrote, “We are deeply saddened by this issue, I would like to use this opportunity to apologize to Kenya