Ugandan Authorities have finally released 8 boats seized in an operation where some 24 people were arrested Wednesday.
Ugandan police have been blamed for assaulting Kenyan fishermen working in the islands of Lake Victoria.
The policemen are said to be whipping the fishermen and confiscating their fish. Additional reports also indicate that the policemen trespass to the Kenyan section of the lake which entirely lacks navy officers.
At the time when the 24 fishermen were arrested, their fishing gear and catch for the day were confiscated and offloaded into Ugandan vessels.
The Ugandan navy would later confiscate their boats and demand a Sh240,000 compensation.
Friday, 24th, Homabay County Commissioner, Mr mobilized how the payment would be obtained together with the Beach Management Unit (BMU) where the amount owed was raised and handed to the Ugandan Authorities.
The boats were released thereafter to the fishermen.
UPDATE: Uganda frees 24 Kenyan fishermen who were arrested over alleged overfishing in Lake Victoria after slapping them with Sh240,000 fines. pic.twitter.com/OjLxAJC8yO
— RTN Somali Tv (@rtnsomalitv) May 24, 2019
Thursday evening, a senior Royal Media Service journalist, Linus Kaikai castigated Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta for failing to pronounce himself clearly on the incessant detention and harassment of Kenyan fishermen by Ugandan police.
Kaikai’s Kicker: What it means to be a Kenyan fisherman in Lake Victoria #NewsGang @LinusKaikai pic.twitter.com/Zh7sK9eREE
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) May 23, 2019
The journalist said that the actions taken by the government to secure the borders ranged from cowardly to weak.
Three years ago, 10 Ugandan police officers attacked a Chief in Migingo island after they questioned her aithority on the island.
Chief Esther Masasi, who later fled the island, was attacked by the marauding policemen after which a Kenyan police officer attempted to intervene.
Corporal Samuel Ocharo was also roughed up by the Police officers and the duo was detained at a nearby Ugandan police station at Hama island on the Uganda side.
Before the incident, the Ugandan police officers had arrested and detained Kenyan IEBC officials who had gone to the island to facilitate registration of voters for the 2017 elections.
March 27, Uganda President Yoweri Museveni jetted into Kenya for a two-day state visit but the Migingo border tension failed to feature on the agenda.
Instead, the talks focused on the port of Mombasa and the bilateral trade policies between the two countries.