Can East African countries reclaim Lake Victoria?
12 October 2009, Sunday Nation URL: http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/Opinion/-/440808/671060/-/4oxlxh/-/ Nairobi: As millions of Kenyans face starvation, and as environmental activists blame bad environmental policies, climate change and deforestation for the current drought and famine facing the country, one important factor has been conveniently overlooked: the role that Britain and Egypt have played in denying countries of the Eastern Africa region the use of their own water resources. The Nile Water Agreement of 1929, which Britain signed on behalf of its East African colonies, forbids (yes, forbids) countries surrounding Africa’s largest freshwater water body – Lake Victoria – from having full use of its waters. The treaty, which has been criticised as a colonial relic, grants Egypt the lion’s share of River Nile’s waters. The agreement also gives Egypt the right to inspect the entire length of the Nile, including Lake Victoria, to ensure that water is not diverted to countries in the
