By URN
Three fishermen died after jumping in Lake Albert fearing to be arrested by Fisheries Protection Unit-FPU personnel.
On Wednesday, four fishermen Richard Onen 25, Samson Jatho 35, Godfrey Obedirwoth 28, and Muzamil Jakisa all attached to Mbegu B landing site in Kabale sub county went fishing. While on the lake, they were arrested by the fisheries protection unit-FPU personnel who were patrolling the lake and accused them of using illegal fishing gear.
The FPU personnel who were being commanded by Corporal Siraj Katosi decided to take the suspects to their detach at the Kasio landing site. However, while on the lake, all the suspects jumped into the Lake Albert waters fearing to be detained.
Jakisa managed to swim up to the shores while the rest of his colleagues are reported to have drowned.
Moses Onen, the LCI Chairperson for Mbegu B landing site said that after a search was conducted on the lake by local fishermen, the body of Onen was found floating on the lake near Mbegu landing site on Thursday while the two bodies are still missing.
Julius Hakiza, the Albertine Region Police spokesperson says that the marine police and fishermen have teamed up to search for the two remaining missing bodies.
According to Hakiza, they have started investigating the actions of the FPU operatives.
In November 2021, a fisherman died in Lake Albert in Hoima district after seeing an approaching crew of Fisheries Protection Unit -FPU personnel. The deceased was only identified as Owonda, attached to Kijangi landing site in Tonya parish Buseruka sub-county in Hoima district.
On the fateful day, the deceased together with three other fishermen whose names were not established had gone fishing when they saw the FPU operatives who accused them of using illegal fishing gear.
After seeing the FPU operatives challenging them, Owonda jumped into the lake and died on the spot.
In 2017, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni directed Uganda Peoples Defense Forces-UPDF soldiers to deploy on all the lakes in the country to combat illegal fishing practices to protect the fish resources that were under threat of depletion.
However, the Fisheries Protection Unit-FPU has since been under the spotlight for torturing and extorting money from fishermen.
The fishermen claim that instead of prosecuting them in courts of law, the soldiers have resorted to battering them in front of their family members and friends, which deprives them of their dignity but the FPU has always denied the allegations leveled against them by the fishermen.
