17 Kenyan fishermen held in Uganda prison released

Seventeen Kenyan fishermen from Port Victoria, Bunyala Sub County in Busia County who had been arrested and held captive in a Ugandan prison have been released.

The fishermen who had been arrested at the beginning of this year were accused of being in Uganda illegally without proper documentation, fishing of immature fish while using illegal gears.

Addressing the press after a reconciliation meeting held at the Busia border post boardroom, the Busia County Commissioner John Korir confirmed that they had decided to hold this peaceful meeting with the Ugandan government that led to the release of the 17.

“We were informed about the arrests of these Kenyans by the Ugandan government and decided to come in for them to negotiate and have peaceful talks to resolve this matter,” said Korir, adding that this made them be pardoned.

Korir however, said that one of the leading reasons for such arrests is because fishermen do not really know where the border of the Kenyan waters end or begin due to lack of visible or physical border demarcations at the lake.

To end this, he said the national government in conjunction with the Ugandan government are working on sensitising the fishermen about healthy fishing behaviour.

“I am calling upon the Kenyan fishermen to be satisfied with the six per cent portion of water we have because the rest is equally shared in almost equal portions with Uganda and Tanzania,” he said.

The County Commissioner further added that due to the fast-rising number of fishermen across the county in a small portion of land, people are being encouraged to embrace other income generating activities alongside fishing.

Korir encouraged fishermen in Busia County to start embracing inland fishing through cage farming and rearing fish in fishponds to prevent fishing ground conflicts at the lake.

“The national government and the county government have partnered to enhance fish production in the county and farmers are therefore being encouraged to work together with them for their own benefit,” he said.

The pardoned fishermen were also assured that their legal fishing gears will be picked on their behalf by the county commissioner at Sigulu area and the illegal ones will be destroyed in accordance with the East African fishing protocol.