A rounded rocky outcrop covered in metal shacks, Migingo Island rises out of the waters of Lake Victoria like an iron-plated turtle. The densely populated area covers barely a quarter of a hectare. Its residents are crammed into a hodge-podge of corrugated-iron homes, bars, brothels and a tiny port
Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images
Main image: The island of Migingo is situated in Lake Victoria on the border between Uganda and Kenya. Photograph: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images
Wed 24 Oct 2018 03.00 EDT Last modified on Thu 26 Mar 2020 10.30 EDT
Migingo has been a source of tension between Uganda and Kenya, which have been unable to decide to whom it really belongs. The nations were once pushed to the brink of what some predicted would be Africa’s smallest war over the island Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Local fishermen prepare their nets. While catches have slowly diminished over the years in fishing communities around Lake Victoria, species such as Nile Perch are plentiful in the deep waters surrounding Migingo Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Isaac Buhinza, 22, of Uganda learned to fish from his father and never attended school. He said he was drawn to Migingo because ‘my friends who were here before used to come back home with lots of goodies’ from their fishing bounty. He added: ‘I do not know which country this (island) belongs to, I just stay here.’ Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Fisherman deposit their catch into containers. For those such as Buhinza, living directly on the island saves them fuel and also gives them direct access to wholesale buyers Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
A woman cuts and cleans Nile perches on the island. It was in the early 2000s when the island was barely inhabited that it began drawing the attention of Ugandan authorities. They sent officials to Migingo to tax fishermen and offer protection against pirates. Kenyan fishermen began complaining that they were being shaken down by the Ugandans in their own waters and chased from the island. They called on Kenya’s government, which deployed security forces to Migingo in a move that nearly brought the two nations to blows in 2009. Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
A woman prepares Ugali, a typical local food made of maize flour. Migingo’s residents make the most of the daily catches by gutting the fish on rocks, frying them in cafes and stringing them up to dry on wires between rusty metal shacks Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
A woman cleans a bar on the island. After the tensions in 2009, Kenya and Uganda decided to create a joint commission to determine where the border is, relying on maps dating from the 1920s. Nothing has come of the commission, however. In the absence of any boundary decisions, the island is co-managed by both countries. This is a marriage of convenience that features both highs and lows Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Women braid each other’s hair in an alleyway. Adams Mulabbi, the officer in charge of the Ugandan police station on Migingo, said: ‘We just want fisherman to be able to do their business in peace.’ Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
People gather along an alley on the island. Faced with mounting complaints from their constituents, local Kenyan politicians have urged Nairobi to ask the international court of justice to intervene and make a decision on the border – to no avail. ‘What matters now is not about the claims by either side but the need to demarcate the place properly so that the border lines are clear,’ said Patrick Mugoya, a permanent secretary in Uganda’s foreign ministry Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Space is at a premium on the tiny island, where people tease each other good-naturedly. ‘This is Kenya,’ said Colins Ochyeng, a local man. ‘It’s Uganda,’ replied a passing Ugandan fisherman, with a smile. Kenyan fisherman Emmanuel Aringo said: ‘I don’t know who this island belongs to. ‘These are all political issues and we just want to sell our fish.’ Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
A Kenyan flag flies at the base of Kenyan marine police station on Usingo island, which overlooks Migingo island. A Kenyan policeman, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the latest row occurred in mid-September, when Kenya tried to raise its flag on Migingo. Until then, only the Ugandan flag had flown. Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Fishermen pull their boats up near properties at the water’s edge. According to police based on Migingo, Ugandans ‘wanted to flex their muscles’ and began patrolling the island in uniform. On the Ugandan side, a policeman accepts that there were tensions but said the issue was quickly resolved: ‘We decided no flag would be hoisted’
Locals go about their daily lives despite the tension. For fisherman Boaz Owuor, who is based in Sori on the Kenyan side of the lake, the incident proved that ‘Ugandan authorities take Migingo a lot more seriously than Kenyan authorities’
