Migingo: Harmonious life on teeny East African island proves size doesn’t matter
- Migingo is a tiny island in East Africa’s Lake Victoria, the world’s second largest fresh water lake.
- Uganda and Kenya both lay claim to the island and are in a dispute over its sovereignty.
- Fishing families from both countries live peacefully side-by-side here, nonetheless.
- The islanders are sometimes threatened by local pirates, who rob and kill their victims.
- Despite being half the size of a football pitch, Migingo boasts a restaurant, a pharmacy, brothels and a hotel.
- There are two bigger and completely uninhabited islands nearby, but they are rumoured to be haunted.
- The locals are friendly and eager to share their memories of life on the island.
![](/files/stories/migingo-harmonious-life-on-teeny-island/DSC00509-13-br.jpg)
Migingo is a small island in Lake Victoria, which is the second largest fresh water lake in the world. It is surrounded by three East African countries: Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya.
![](/files/stories/migingo-harmonious-life-on-teeny-island/DSC00360-14-br.jpg)
![Migingo Island](/files/stories/migingo-harmonious-life-on-teeny-island/DSC00379-15-br.jpg)
Beyond nature, one of the main concerns of the islanders is local pirates, who’ve been known to rob and even kill their ill-fated victims.
![](/files/stories/migingo-harmonious-life-on-teeny-island/DSC00378-5-br.jpg)
Though the island is roughly half the size of a football pitch, it boasts a restaurant, a pharmacy with a doctor, and even a hotel.
![](/files/stories/migingo-harmonious-life-on-teeny-island/DSC00475-16-br.jpg)
Despite Migingo’s reputation as a dangerous, unwelcoming place, the locals are hospitable hosts who are eager to share their memories of life on the island and their opinions on its future.
![](/files/stories/migingo-harmonious-life-on-teeny-island/DSC00453-8-br.jpg)
For fascinating insight into the small island community and its people, check out Migingo: The Iron-clad Islandon RTD.