President Yoweri Museveni has held a meeting with Members of Parliament (MPs) representing constituencies that have fishing villages around Lake Victoria.
Led by Solomon Silwany (Bukhooli Central), the MPs, met President Museveni at his Kisozi Farm in Gomba district, with the aim of harmonizing and maintaining sustainable legalized fishing practices on Uganda’s water bodies.
The meeting observed that the recent crackdown against illegal fishing by the UPDF Marines and Fisheries Protection Unit was bearing fruit with less immature fish making it to the market while fish stock in the waters was going up.
Whereas the meeting agreed that the UPDF operations should be supported, the MPs raised issue with some of the enforcement methods, saying the enforcers had in some cases beaten civilians, and in a few cases, led to death.
President Museveni in the strongest terms condemned the use of extreme force by the UPDF enforcement unit and promised to investigate the reports of deaths, saying action would be taken once the facts were established.
On the way forward, the MPs were tasked to go consult their constituents and a follow-up meeting would be held mid-January 2018. The President will also conduct a familiarization and sensitization tour thereafter, to educate the masses on profitable use of the lake resource.
Minister of State for Transport, Aggrey Bagiire, attended the meeting.