Eyebrows As Uhuru Kenyatta, William Ruto Separately Meet Museveni At Entebbe State House

• Uhuru Kenyatta is the Facilitator of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) East African Community (EAC)- led Nairobi Peace Process
• Kamukama Freddie, a senior member of the Muhoozi Kainerugaba Movement maintained that Uhuru was in Kampala to brief Museveni on the peace process in DRC
• After Uhuru Kenyatta's visit, William Ruto flew to Entebbe on Sunday, August 13 where he also held talks with President Yoweri Museveni

Uganda - In one week, President Yoweri Museveni held separate discussions with his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto and his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta.

On Monday, August 7, Uhuru, the Facilitator of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) East African Community (EAC)- led Nairobi Peace Process and Museveni co-chaired a technical committee meeting of the eastern DRC peace process at State House, Entebbe.

Before the day's events, Uhuru had the previous day paid a courtesy call on his host.

"The two leaders deliberated on the ongoing peace processes geared towards the realisation of a lasting peace and stability in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo," a statement from Uhuru's office read in part.

Also, present at the meeting were; Uganda’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in charge of Regional Affairs, John Mulimba, ambassador Macharia Kamau, and Brigadier (Rtd) Elijah Mwanyika.

Why William Ruto met Yoweri Museveni

Even before the dust settled, Ruto flew to Entebbe on Sunday, August 13 where he also held talks with Museveni on what he described their engagements as matters of mutual interest, especially trade, security, and agriculture.

"Kenya and Uganda have a firm partnership based on decades of East African brotherhood, strong cooperation, and consistent engagement," Ruto said after he meets with Museveni.

However, these two consecutive trips to Entebbe by the two top Kenyan leaders have raised eyebrows over their intention.

When reached for comment, political analyst and commentator Joseph Simekha told TUKO.co.ke that it's "tricky" for him to comment on terming the meetings as mere speculation.

"There are so many reasons for them to meet: from Eastern Congo war challenges to vested interests of the elite in East Africa, to the need for calm and stability in Kenya in the interest of Uganda's economy to things we may not even know about," Simekha said.

This comes at a time that Peter Mutuku Mathuki - Secretary-General East African Community delivered an address on the status of the East African Community Regional Forces (EACRF) in the Eastern DRC.

"Without any fear of contradiction, our East African Regional Force is doing a very good job in the Eastern DRC and they are committed to their task. Under the leadership of the chair of the summit President Évariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi, he is doing a good job by working with the rest of heads of state to ensure that peace is restored in eastern DEC," said Mathuki.

Why Uhuru flew to Kampala

Speaking exclusively to TUKO.co.ke, Kamukama Freddie, a senior member of the Muhoozi Kainerugaba Movement maintained that Uhuru was in Kampala to brief Museveni on the peace process in DRC.

"He (Uhuru) has been moving around the region meeting heads of state. So, Museveni received a report from Uhuru on what is happening in DRC because Uganda is an interested party with boots on the ground in DRC," Kamukama said.

According to Kamukama, Uganda needs Kenya since it's a landlocked country.

"This means that stability in Kenya is good for Uganda. It's worth noting that both Uhuru and Ruto see Museveni as the region's father figure. We all go to our fathers for guidance whenever need be," he explained adding that Uhuru and Ruto are friends to Uganda since they have businesses there.

Kamukama, a close ally of Uganda's first son Muhoozi disclosed that Ruto met Museveni because of some Ugandan and Kenyan products.

TUKO.co.ke understands that Kenya is Uganda’s largest market in East Africa but according to Brookside, Nairobi has declined its 116 export permit applications.

This development, which is blamed on the supremacy battle between Ruto's administration and Uhuru, whose family owns Brookside, has left Ugandan milk farmers and processors on the brink of economic ruin, and Kampala is now aggressively looking for markets farther outside the region.

"As a result of this development, soon you will also see Museveni visit Kenya for similar talks and vice versa so that they can jointly iron out these issues once and for all," Kamukama said.

Brookside Dairy Uganda enjoyed brisk business in the days Uhuru was president. And now the tables have turned.

It is also worth noting that Ruto spent less than four hours in Entebbe during his recent visit to Uganda.

Kenya-Uganda dairy products

TUKO.co.ke established that in the past three years, Kenya has banned, allowed, and banned again Ugandan milk from accessing its market.

Each time, a different reason has been given.

"It's our hope and prayer as Ugandans that both parties in Kenya that are at loggerheads will put their differences aside and reconcile because we need to see them work together for the benefit of a united East Africa region," Kamukama said.

In his own words, Kamukama who recently played a major role in Muhoozi's tour of Soroti said:

"My advice to Uhuru and Ruto is that they need to put aside their differences and embrace peace. Not just for the sake of Kenya but for the entire region as well. These are people who have previously worked together and so they need to forgive and tolerate each other. They need to sit down on the negotiation table and iron out their differences."

Earlier, TUKO.co.ke reported that a multi-agency sting operation resulted in the recovery of more than 16 tonnes of illegally imported powder milk in Eastleigh.

Why Brookside is on the receiving end

The operation, which involved the Kenya Dairy Board, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, and the Kenya Revenue Authority, was conducted in the Eastleigh area.

The team acting on a tip-off from the Kenya Dairy Board surveillance team managed to cordon off the area, where they found three consignments of powdered milk packed in bags of 25 kilograms and tins of 2 kilograms.

According to a report by Citizen TV, the consignment branded Brookside Dairy of Uganda of about 650 bags of 25 kilos each had no documentation.

The seized consignment was transported to KRA go down on Mombasa Road in three trucks for lawful custody as the investigation continue.

It is believed that the milk was imported from Uganda and was being sold at a lower price than locally produced milk.

The operation is a major blow to the illegal milk trade in Kenya and is a victory for the government's efforts to protect local dairy farmers and consumers.

The recovered milk will be destroyed, and the suspects are facing criminal charges.