Parliament of Uganda to debate harassment of fishermen in Lake Victoria

Fishermen at Nyanguena Beach in Nyatike Sub County offload fish from their boat on 2nd September 2018. (Caleb Kingwara, Standard)

The Parliament of Uganda is on Tuesday expected to debate the harassment, detention and torture of fishermen in Lake Victoria.

Fishermen from Uganda and Kenya will be eagerly waiting for the results of a petition filed by residents of Bukooli Island Constituency in Uganda to withdraw the military from the lake.

This comes amidst tension at Migingo Island, whose ownership is disputed between Kenya and Uganda, following heavy deployment of police officers by the Ugandan Government.

Worried Kenyan fishermen from Mugabo, Nyandiwa and Muhuru mainland beaches have stayed away from the disputed island.

Armed Ugandan security forces cordoned off the island while plain clothed officers monitored activities in the world's second largest freshwater lake using binoculars.

Last week, Uganda increased its police deployments in the contested island and reportedly lowered the Kenyan flag.

On Sunday, residents of Bukooli Island constituency complained to Speaker of Ugandan Parliament Rebecca Kadaga that security officers had destroyed their boats and fishing gear.

The residents presented their petition to Ms. Kadaga during a fundraiser that was also attended by MPs George Abott (Bukooli Island), Geoffrey Macho (Busia Municipality), Gideon Ochanda (Bondo) and Raphael Wanjala (Budalangi).

The national boundary that MPs from Nyanza and Western seek to be established in the lake will also be a subject of heated debate in the Uganda Parliament on Tuesday.

According to Ochanda, there have been problems of invasion and harassment of Kenyan fishermen in the past few months.

Three months ago, three Administration Police officers and five fishermen from Kenya were arrested and detained by Ugandan soldiers.

“We have confirmed that the problem lies with Ugandans and they are using boundaries as an excuse to extort fishermen,” said Ochanda.

He appealed to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to withdraw the army from the lake and replace it with a civil authority.

“We have been trying to restrain our officers from retaliating and we are advising Ugandan government to only use the army for protecting the country from external aggression,” said Wanjala.

According to Abott who is also the Chairman of East African Affairs Committee in Parliament, the officers are not only harassing and torturing Kenyans but also Ugandans.

“We are not going to sit as leaders and watch as some rogue officers are damaging the cordial relationship between the two countries,” said Abott.

?While committing to debate the issue, Uganda MPs however expressed reservations about the call for boundary demarcation, saying the move threatens the brotherhood of the two countries.

“We don't think creating a boundary offers a sustainable solution to the problem the two countries have been facing in the lake. Instead we need to work together closely to get rid of these individuals who are threatening the cordial relationship," said Abott.