The Busia Municipality member of parliament-MP Geoffrey Macho has accused the ministry of agriculture, animal industry and fisheries- (MAAIF) of mishandling the fish trade in the border district under the oversight.
Macho also accused Simon Emongot a fisheries officer in the district, of failure to serve Ugandan fishmongers well to clear their export into Kenya while at the same time failing to control Kenyan fishmongers who deal in immature fish, an act that sabotages cross border trade.
According to the MP, he has received several complaints with evidence raised to him by fishmongers on the poor service delivery by the MAAIF officer at Busia border.
Macho adds that he has written letters to Uganda Revenue authority- URA, MAAIF and to the fish protection unit-FPU authorities demanding for the transfer of Simon Emongot from Busia border to any other destination in vain.
He argues that the officer’s negligence was evidenced across the country at Mpondwe border in Kasese where five trucks were impounded with immature fish worth 1.5 billion shillings and this has continued to affect cross-border trade in the area.
Meanwhile, the Busia resident district commissioner John Rex Achila says that they have held several district security committee meetings at the border on the matters concerning erratic ways of declaring fish by the accused MAAIF officer.
He says the committee resolved that MAIF should put clear guidelines for proper fish trade at the border.
However, Julius Nkwasire Mponooka the URA assistant commissioner enforcement says during the parliamentary committee meeting held at Busia border on Friday that as sister government agencies they shall intervene, whole Connie Acayo, the MAAIF spokesperson, says they do not know about the matter.
