Government’s fight against the relocation of the United Nations Regional Service Centre from Entebbe to Kenya seems to have paid off after UN Secretary General António Guterres said the base will not be moved.
According to Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa, Mr Guterres has confirmed to President Museveni in a letter that the UN Base will not be shifted to Kenya.
Members of Parliament on Wednesday on made a passionate appeal for government to defend and retain the base. Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga said Uganda has been “paying with blood” while contributing to military missions around the continent and argued that it is fair for the base to be retained at Entebbe.
“We need a serious debate on this matter. It is very serious for our country,” Ms Kadaga said.
On May 1, the UN Secretary General wrote to the UN Advisory Committee recommending that the UN should remove its base from Entebbe to Nairobi. Other recommended locations were the Hungarian capital, Budapest and Mexico City, the Mexican capital.
President Museveni wrote to Mr Guterres opposing the move saying it was unfair to pick Nairobi over Entebbe to host the world body’s regional service centre in Africa.