The fishermen argue that the Uganda People’s Defense Force-UPDF soldiers deployed to stop illegal fishing practices on the lake have instead become perpetual violators of human rights, which has frustrated the incomes of the fishing community.
According to local leaders despite the area being prone to COVID-19, due to its closeness to Tanzania where the infection rate is high, access to reliable transport remains a challenge.
Dr Ronald Reagan Mutebi, an Epidemiologist in the Health Ministry who led the team that assessed the Covid-19 situation in the area, says they noticed several loopholes that make the community susceptible to the contagious virus.
The 30 kilometres road which connects Kasensero Town Council and the landing site from Kakuuto trading centre in Kyotera district has since August last year been in a sorry state following the seasonal rains that rendered it almost impassable.
Despite the on-going army-led operations against illegal fishing malpractices, fishermen are concerned of the increasing incidents of robbery and murders at the landing site.
Moses Sserunjogi, the LCIII Chairperson for Kasensero town council says despite having in place community rescue teams trained by police to offer emergency rescue services during water accidents, the teams are ill-equipped. He says that the absence of proper emergency rescue facility in the area is apparently making it difficult for them to save lives of people that regularly drown between the two Islands.
Elly Walusimbi, the Community Liaisons Officer at the Police Fire and Rescue department, says the intervention is intended to train members of the community that can respond to both fire and water accidents in the different parts of the country.
Peter Kaali, a prominent fisherman at Kasensero landing site accuses their Tanzanian counterparts of mistreating them whenever they find them on the waters.
Joseph Kabugo, the LC5 councillor for Kasensero town council and vice chairperson of Kasensero Fishermen’s Association says that fishermen are not protected from the exploitation by owners of processing factories who enjoy total liberty of determining market prices right from the landing site.
