Two Kenyan fishermen were Monday night shot dead allegedly by Uganda People Defence Force (UPDF) officer while fishing in Lake Victoria at Sumba area in Budalang’i.
Confirming the incident Bunyala OCPD Isaiah Mose stated that one fisherman succumbed on the spot while another died while undertaking treatment at Port Victoria Sub-county Hospital.
The Kenya coast guard police however responded to the incident and managed to save three other fishermen who are still receiving treatment at the hospital.
“We received the incident from our coast guard police where our fishermen were ambushed by the Ugandan arm, who shot and killed 2 fishermen last night as a result of a confrontation. Our officers managed to rescue 3 other fishermen,” Mose confirmed.
The fishermen led by chairperson Marenga Beach Godfrey Ogutu are now calling on the leadership in the county and security team to engage with the Ugandan counterpart to find a lasting solution.
“The incidents of Kenyan fishermen being harassed in the lake are common, we are urging the Kenyan government to protect its people from such malicious attacked,” said Ogutu.
In the span of six months over 75 Kenyan fishermen have been arrested while fishing in Lake Victoria with over 60 having been released and about 15 either still detained or gone missing in the hands of Ugandan security officers.
Polycarp Juma, the chairperson of Bumbe Beach Management Network, lamented that Kenyan fishermen had been subjected to harassment in the lake with little intervention from the government. However, he commended the work of the Kenya Coast Guard in recent days.
“Kenyan fishermen have lost over Sh 4.5 million through extortion and boats destroyed over the past six months. As we speak, a number of our fishermen and over five boats have been detained in Uganda,” said Juma.
There are more than 20,000 fishermen spread across the 20 beaches in Budalang’i sub-county where the five fishermen came from.
– Kenya News Agency
