Kenya wants Nile treaty reviewed

2002-02-19 11:21

David Mageria

Nairobi - A senior Kenyan minister has called for a review of the 1929 British colonial treaty, which gave Egypt the right to veto construction projects of countries which sought to use the headwaters of the Nile.

Kenyan Energy Minister Raila Odinga told reporters that the treaty, signed by Britain on behalf of its then east African colonies, is outdated and needs to be reviewed to take into account the interests of the upstream countries as well as Egypt for whom the Nile is a main source of water.

"It (the treaty) was signed on behalf of governments which were not in existence at that time," Odinga said.

"We are bound by an agreement to which we are not party and we are saying this is an unfair agreement that we should negotiate afresh."

Ethiopia, which accounts for the bulk of the Nile's catchment area, has made similar demands asking for the scrapping of a 1959 treaty between Egypt and Sudan on sharing out the Nile waters.

Analysts said although Kenya's contribution as a source of the Nile is minimal, Egypt would like to ensure the treaty is honoured in case Ethiopia, which contributes 86% of the river's water, also decides to ignore it.

"If Kenya says it does not give a damn, then others like Ethiopia can follow suit and that is unthinkable for Egypt. It is a matter of life and death," one analyst said.

Other upstream countries include Uganda and Tanzania, which interlock with Kenya to form the shoreline of Lake Victoria.

Compensation for conservation

The 6 741km-long Nile's most remote headstream flows into Lake Victoria, becoming the Victoria Nile. That river flows into and out of Lake Albert. It becomes the White Nile on the border between Uganda and Sudan; joined by its chief tributary the Blue Nile, and flows north through Egypt to its Mediterranean delta.

Kenya, which suffers recurrent droughts due to inadequate rainfall, deforestation and soil erosion, argues that it needs water for irrigation or developing hydroelectric plants.

"If you want to use that water for food production, why should you be prevented from doing so, and you are conserving it for Egypt to go and use it for food production? We think this is not fair," Odinga said.

Odinga said the countries that use the water downstream should provide capital to countries like Kenya to invest in projects that will help preserve the river system.

"There should be some compensation for us to be able to conserve our catchment areas to ensure there is constant flow of water to the lake," Odinga said.

Odinga, a contender for Kenya's presidency, draws his political support mainly from the Luo community, who lives along the shores of Lake Victoria.

He has stepped up a campaign to protect the rights of the Luo since he was appointed a cabinet minister by President Daniel arap Moi in Kenya's first coalition government last year.

Odinga said an American group had sought permission to pump water from the lake to revive a collapsed rice scheme in his home base of western Kenya but the government had refused, citing the treaty.

- Reuters