Kampala: Security personnel from Uganda have arrested twenty-four Kenyan fishermen in Lake Victoria. The fishermen from Ringiti Island in Suba West Sub-County were apprehended while fishing in the lake. The Ugandan security officers were patrolling in the area.
According to Kenya News Agency, the fishermen were reportedly taken to Uganda's Lolwe Island, where they are being detained. Six boats which the fishermen were using were also confiscated and moved to Lolwe Island. Ringiti Island Beach Management Unit Chairperson Barnabas Odhiambo condemned the arrests, insisting that the fishermen were fishing in Kenyan waters of Lake Victoria. "What has happened is unjust harassment of Kenyans who are using their natural resource to earn a living," Odhiambo said.
He expressed concerns that harassment of Kenyan fishermen has been on the rise in the last few days. He said Ugandan security officers had formed a tendency of patrolling in Kenyan waters. The official said the Ugandan security officers demanded Sh 60,000 for the release of each person and boat. Odhiambo called on the government and local leaders to intervene and provide a long-term solution to the problem. "We have called our local leaders but none of them have responded so far," he said. He urged the government to engage Ugandan authorities to provide a long-term solution to the problem.
Acting Homa Bay County Commissioner Charles Mwayaya, however, said they were yet to receive a formal complaint about the matter. "We are going on with an enquiry to find out the truth and how to salvage the situation," the administrator said.