UPDF Shoot At Fishermen, One Dead Others Nursing Wounds

By Gad Masereka

Following a gunshot on Lake Victoria in Namayingo District by a Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) soldier assigned to the Fisheries Protection Unit, one Kenyan fisherman has died and another is hospitalised after the UPDF shot at them.

A Ugandan is still missing as a result of the gunshot, which took place on July 4 in the waters near the Kenya-Uganda border at Sigulu Island.

The Busia-Kenya County Commissioner, Mr. Kipchumba Ruto, identified the deceased as Fred Mangeni Pamba, a fisherman from Port Victoria Landing Site in Western Kenya. Dalas Igoma, who is receiving medical attention for his wounds at Port Victoria hospital, was confirmed as the injured.

Romano is the sole name that has been given to the missing Ugandan.

“The deceased fisherman was shot by the UPDF soldier whole inside his boat,” Mr. Ruto said Monitor. “A fisherman, who was in the company of the deceased, is missing, while another is in the hospital.”

He added that the Ugandan boat rider, Mangeni, who was purportedly in the soldier’s company, had been detained by Kenya Police after swimming to Port Victoria on the Kenyan side and facing murder charges.

According to sources, the detained Ugandan, a civilian, was initially apprehended at Bunyala Central Police Station before being moved to the Busia-Kenya Police Station, where he was scheduled to appear in court.

According to sources with knowledge of the investigation, the five fishermen who were aboard a fishing boat with Ugandans and Kenyans allegedly attacked the lone soldier who was with the boat rider.

Following the shooting, Kenyan and Ugandan government representatives met on Wednesday at the Ugandan side of the Busia border and decided to put an end to hostilities on Lake Victoria, a shared resource.

Two UPDF troops, including his direct boss, were detained, according to Mr. Michael Kibwika, the Busia Resident District Commissioner, and are currently being probed for the shooting.

According to Mr. Kibwika, both troops were detained in Namayingo District at an undisclosed location.

“Kenya and Uganda share a lot in common in terms of culture and trade; we shall not sit and watch when individuals’ actions threaten the harmony between Kenya and Uganda,” Mr. Kibwika continued.

What started the fight?

According to a source, the UPDF boat carrying one soldier and the boat rider was attacked by the five fishermen aboard the boat carrying Kenyans and Ugandans.

The soldier, who was now stuck alone in the boat, opened fire during the altercation, killing one fisherman, the source claimed. “The fishermen are said to have used a stick to knock the boat rider, causing him to tumble into the lake.

The fallen fisherman from Uganda is still unaccounted for as of this writing.

According to Mr. Benard Karugaba, a member of the Fisheries Protection Unit, an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the gunshot and the scene of the occurrence has already begun.

Mr. Karugaba claims that the enmity between Kenya and Uganda around Lake Victoria is in part due to the absence of clear boundary markers.

He advised that we expedite the demarcation of the border between Kenya and Uganda so that everyone on the lake would be able to know whether he was in Kenya or Uganda.

Ugandans and Kenyans have frequently engaged in conflict because of Lake Victoria, which is shared by Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. This is particularly true when it comes to concerns regarding illicit fishing.

The Fisheries Protection Unit and the Kenya Coast Guards have frequently been involved in shooting incidents and arrests.

While Kenya has implemented a modest strategy, Uganda has long accused Kenya of facilitating illegal fishing on the lake. Uganda has a policy to reduce unlawful fishing.

However, according to Mr. Ruto, they have decided to work together to put an end to illegal fishing on the lake. They have agreed that only Kenyan boats with licences from the Ugandan Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industries, and Fisheries will be permitted to fish on the Ugandan side of the lake.