IT is necessary to understand and appreciate that the peoples of this region have so many things that bring us together and form a basis for the formation of a political federation.
There are cultural links, linguistic links, historical links and economic links that facilitate political union.
The Bachwezi dynasty, which had its headquarters in western Uganda, had spread its influence to Karagwe and Bukoba in northern Tanzania and parts of Rwanda.
The language spoken by Banyoro, Batoro and Banyankore is also spoken in Karagwe, Bukoba and the Ukerewe Islands in Lake Victoria. The peoples of these areas can communicate very easily amongst themselves without the assistance of a second language like Swahili or English.
Whenever there were wars of succession in the former Kingdom of Nkore, the princes would escape with cows to Karagwe and hide their cattle in Muzeire Forest, which is still in existence.
There are also natural and cultural linkages between the people of Burundi and of neighbouring areas of Kigoma in Tanzania. The Luos of Kenya were the advance party of the flow of Luos from Sudan, through northern and eastern Uganda, eventually settling in Nyanza in Kenya.
In the northeast, the Karimojong of Uganda are cousins of the Pokot and Turkana in Kenya.
These people are pastoralists with animal rustling as a common cultural trait among them. The Kalenjin in Kenya and Sabiny in Uganda are related. I am informed that they often ignore these artificial borders and continue their relationships.
There are cases where one brother may be in Kenya and another in Uganda.
This same pattern occurs among the Iteso and Samia and Luhya. The Bamasaba of Uganda have family and cultural similarities with the Luhya, while the Samia have a district called Busia in Uganda and across in Kenya a district with the same name, Busia, is inhabited by the Samia of Kenya.
A good example of the relation is seen through Ugandan MP Aggrey Awori, whose sibling, Moody Awori, is the Vice-President of Kenya.
Cross-border links are also manifested among the Kuria. In Tanzania they are known as good soldiers and their cousins in Kenya are famous for cattle rustling.
Lastly on this point, the Bafumbira of Kisoro have similar and active links with the people of Rwanda.
All the above show that the artificial boundaries imposed by colonialists do not make sense to our people. The colonialists tried their best to erase these natural and cultural links.
It now is our patriotic and historical responsibility to restore and strengthen them.
Until the end of the World War I the then Tanganyika, Burundi and Rwanda were under German colonial rule. Later, Tanganyika was put under the British, while Burundi and Rwanda were handed to Belgium by the League of Nations (the predecessor of the United Nations).
From the advent of colonialism, Kenya and Uganda were under the British. Kenya was a colony and Uganda a protectorate, but in my opinion there was little difference.
The British were clever enough to see that there was need to cut on costs of running the three colonies Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika and established some common services.
They formed the Governor's Conference and one army, if it can be described as such, in names of the King's African Rifles (KAR). It comprised recruits from the three countries jointly trained and deployed. For instance, soldiers like late Tito Okello and Idi Amin had colleagues from Kenya and Tanganyika.
In education there was the University of East Africa, with constituent colleges at Makerere, Nairobi and later, Dar-es-Salaam. The railway system, harbours, East African Tax Department, culture, research, common currency, posts and telegraph services and airlines were designed to serve East Africa. In summary, the British had planted the seeds of operating common services in the region.
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