Kenya and Uganda could be headed for a collision course following UN reports that a Ugandan rebel group, the resurgent Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), is using Nairobi as a financial hub for its armed campaign to overthrow President Yoweri Museveni.

The UN report says that the ADF, based in Democratic Republic of Congo, recaptured territory it had lost to the DRC military and thereafter swung into action, recruiting Somali refugees living in Kenya to topple the Ugandan government.

 Kenyan Assistant Minster for Internal Security Joshua Orwa Ojode maintained that the government is investigating the matter and is yet to find proof that ADF is in Nairobi.

“We do not have concrete evidence but we are investigating the matter. We are working on the basis of the report and we don’t necessarily have to wait for the Ugandans to complain,” he said.

Ugandan officials remained tight-lipped over this development, saying it is a highly sensitive and explosive matter.

“I cannot discuss a security matter this sensitive with the press,” State Minister for Defence General Jeje Odongo said when asked if government had contacted Kenyan authorities over the matter. 

However, the media in Uganda quoted senior government officials saying that Kenya must identify, arrest or expel ADF from its territory as well as dismantle all its economic activities.

Foreign Affairs State Minister Henry Okello-Oryem is quoted as having told privately-owned Radio One that the Kenyan government committed to the International Conference on Great Lakes Region pact that mandates all partner states not to host in their territory elements perceived to be hostile to partner states.

Mr Okello-Oryem said although the two countries have close working relations on fighting terrorism in the region, Kenya should do more to ensure that the ADF does not find a safe haven in Nairobi.

Signs of an ADF presence in Nairobi came a few months ago, when Kenyan security agencies raided a Nairobi home and captured one of the sons of ADF leader Jamil Mukulu. Investigations revealed that Mr Mukulu owns property in Nairobi.

ADF, made up of mostly Ugandan Muslims, emerged in 1996 citing marginalisation of the Muslim faith in Uganda as its cause. The group also wanted to introduce Sharia law in Uganda.  

Should the ADF escalate tensions between Kenya and Uganda, it would not be the first time the two neighbours experienced such tension.

In mid 1980s, the then president Daniel arap Moi, accused Uganda of sending disgruntled Kenyan elements to Libya for military training with the purpose of overturning his government. 

The relations between Kenya and Uganda were at their lowest, given that Moi suspected Museveni, who had just come to power through the gun, of seeking to export his revolutionary ideology to Kenya.

But the biggest crisis came in mid 1990s, when a group calling itself the February Eighteen Revolutionary Army based in Kampala sought to overthrow the Moi regime.

due to its high-handed suppression of human rights. 

Initially based in the Ruwenzori Mountains, ADF is a combination of fundamentalist Tabliq Muslim rebels and remnants of another rebel group, the National Army for the Liberation of Uganda.

It has claimed responsibility for a string of arson attacks and bomb blasts that rocked Uganda in the late 1990s.

Uganda entered DRC in 1996, with Museveni saying they were pursuiing ADF.

ADF has not made incursions in recent years, at least since the 2000s, but their leaders remain alive and active, living in the Congo, but also flying regularly to Khartoum and the Middle East.

Given that their Sources of income points to Arab-Muslim connections, it lends credence to the UN report that the group has been recruiting Somali refugees in Kenya.

Should the ADF escalate tensions between Kenya and Uganda, it would not be the first time the two neighbours experience tension between them because of activities of their citizens.

In mid 1980s, the then president Daniel arap Moi, accused Uganda of carting away Kenyan disgruntled elements to Libya for military training with the purpose of overturning his government. 

The relations between Kenya and Uganda was at its lowest, given that Moi was suspecting Museveni, who had just come to power through the gun, of seeking to export his revolutionary ideologies to Kenya.

But the biggest tension came in mid 1990s, when a group calling itself, February Eighteen Revolutionary Army led by Patrick Wangamati, sought to overthrow the Moi regime due to its high-handed suppression of human rights.   

Security and Defence in Uganda say only the army and Ministry of Defence spokesman can speak to the press about this matter. He however could not get back to The EastAfrican by press time as he was in meetings with his bosses.