The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) have been named by Kenyan fishermen as orchestrators of raid that saw them lose fish worth KShs 800,000 (Shs 28.8m).
The fishermen allege that on Friday last week, an unidentified number of people in UPDF attire attacked them off the shores of Remba island and confiscated 3.2 tonnes of fish. The small island is one of those that make up the disputed Migingo and lies adjacent to the Uganda boarder.
One of the affected fishermen, Ibrahim Ombinya, told Kenya’s The Standard that the men who surrounded them were in military uniform and some had plainclothes, and they used three boats. They then ordered them to transfer the ice used to preserve fish to the their (attackers’) boats, after which all their catch was taken away.
Another fisherman, Earnest Odhiambo, said they beat him up when he tried to stop them from taking his catch. He was taken to Remba clinic for treatment the moment the more than 70 fishermen got ashore.
Tom Guda, the chairman of East Africa’s Lake Victoria Beach Management Unit (BMU), confirmed the Friday incident. He urged the Kenyan government to address the issue of Ugandan soldiers intimidating, harassing, and stealing from Kenyan fishermen.
Guda said that since their boats were loaded, the fishermen were defenceless but could have escaped if they had twin horsepower engines. He added that although assigned to patrol Ugandan waters, UPDF sometimes stray to the Kenyan side.
“The government should not leave this situation unresolved. We might lose lives. Some fishermen might refuse to comply and get shot. The Ugandan soldiers had a fun-filled day as they took away all the fish,” said Guda.
‘UPDF NEVER STEALS’
However, in a telephone interview, Brig Richard Karemire, the UPDF spokesman, denied the allegations saying that the army couldn’t engage in such activities.
He clarified that unlike as earlier reported by Kenyan media, “the operation was not conducted in Migingo island but, rather, around Dolwe island in Uganda and engines and boats belonging to some Kenyans were seized.”
Karemire explained that there’s an ongoing operation around Migingo islands to ensure that Kenyan fishermen don’t carry out their activities on the Ugandan side. He said the fish was confiscated from the Kenyans because they used illegal fishing material.
“The UPDF never steals. There’s an ongoing operation meant to protect our fish. The operations will continue and it will target anyone involved in illegal fishing activities,” cautioned the UPDF spokesman.
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