The tiny island of Migingo between Kenya and Uganda

A rounded rocky outcrop covered in metal shacks, Migingo Island rises out of the waters of Lake Victoria like an iron-plated turtle. The densely populated area covers barely a quarter of a hectare. Its residents are crammed into a hodge-podge of corrugated-iron homes, bars, brothels and a tiny port.

The island of Migingo is situated in Lake Victoria on the border between Uganda and Kenya.

Migingo has been a source of tension between Uganda and Kenya, which have been unable to decide to whom it really belongs.

After the tensions in 2009, Kenya and Uganda decided to create a joint commission to determine where the border is, relying on maps dating from the 1920s.

Nothing has come of the commission, however. In the absence of any boundary decisions, the island is co-managed by both countries.

Kenyan fisherman Emmanuel Aringo said: ‘I don’t know who this island belongs to. ‘These are all political issues and we just want to sell our fish.’

Ref: Property Report