Kenya's PM to host Museveni

Kenya's Prime Minister Raila Odinga is set to host Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni in the lakeside town of Kisumu on Saturday.

But President Mwai Kibaki who was earlier expected, would not be attending.

During the opening of the Kisumu International Airport early in the month, Mr Odinga announced that the President would make more trips to the region, starting with Saturday's function.

The Ugandan President will preside over the launch of the Great Lakes University’s Kisumu Education Trust.

Mr Odinga and President Museveni struck the deal on the Great Lakes event last December when the Prime Minister presided at a fundraiser for Busoga University in Uganda.

The fundraiser, which was also attended by President Museveni, realised $400,000 (about USH900 million).

The PM attended Busoga University fundraiser at the invitation of Ms Rebecca Kadaga, former Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda.

During the fundraiser, President Museveni and Mr Odinga pledged to champion cross border education as a way of speeding up regional integration.

The PM and the Uganda leader have been having close relations in the past two years.

In 2010, Mr Odinga was among the leaders who graced President Museveni’s re-election campaigns in Iganga District.

Initially, the two had been at loggerheads over the ownership of the rocky one-acre island of Migingo on Lake Victoria.

During the 2007 post-election crisis in Kenya, Mr Odinga's ODM party took issue with President Museveni’s move to send congratulatory messages to Mr Kibaki on his re-election at a time when the outcome of the polls was disputed.