When President Yoweri Museveni sent Lt Col Dick Kaija into a Sabbatical leave and appointed Lt Col. Mercy Tukahirwa, as the new commanding officer of the Fisheries Protection Unit, many doubted the girl power.
Never at any moment would Ugandans welcome a rather female commanding officer. Some thought, Lt Col. Tukahirwa wouldn’t solve the island fishing challenges that involved a number of men who quite essentially are the largest number of Ugandans engage in fish hunting practices.
“At one point, many believed she would fail, something she has proven not true, and that she can handle lake chores even in the face of adversity,” says Ibrahim Ssenyonga, one of the island dwellers in Kalangala District.
At the time of her introduction at the helm of the Fisheries Protection Unit, fishermen were suffering from severe rights violations, limited engagement, and no lessons on better fishing practices.
However, Afande Tukahirwa, together with a team, initiated a lengthy but rather necessary work of engaging fishermen in life changing lessons that provide for the understanding of better fishing methods within the country.
Fronlm Lake George, through Victoria to the furthest Lake in West Nile, the Fisheries Protection Unit has now embarked on providing lessons while enforcement for better methods of fishing ensure.
Ruth Mirembe, a fisherfolk from Buvuma, an island district within Lake Victoria, has been engaging in the practice for more than 20 years. In Buvuma, she established a network that allows her business to thrive through fish hunting.
Mirembe says, at the very inception of the operations by the UPDF Marines, there were violations that saw a number of human rights abuses until recently, when a new team was introduced.
“When I was appointed as the new Fisheries Protection Unit Commander, the President asked me to end the violations. H.E., the president, also asked me to engage the fishermen, teach them, and ensure that they understand that the lake belongs to them.” Lt Col. Mercy Tukahirwa says.
Two years since her appointment, fishermen celebrate an end to human rights violations and now believe that a free and fair operation is ensuring.
From all across the Victoria, Lt. Col. Tukahirwa, her team engaged in rigorous advancement of better fishing methods amidst plenty of ideas and fishing practices.
At Kachanga, Bubeke, and Misonzi landing sites, Afande Tukahirwa, with immediate effect, suspended the use of solar lights in the hunting of silver fishing amongst fishermen.
“Let’s all agree, the solar lights spoil and hinder other fishing methods from being practiced, and yet we need to coexist. Those hunting for Nile Perch and those engaging in silver fish trapping should all work, using the available legal framework,” Afande Tukahirwa said.
The solar lights had been introduced on the lake recently by a number of people who believed it would be easier for them to trap silver fish.
However, Abdul Kanaani, a fisherman at Kachanga landing site, in a deliberation with all Lake users said, one solar light makes all other fish species run away from a given spot, about nine nautical miles away, leaving many people without business.
The Commanding Officer also asked for the Nile Perch fishermen and those engaging in the silver fish business to coexist and work together as new governing regulations on the Fisheries and Aquaculture Act passed by Parliament are drafted.
“We actually need the guidelines for us to implement and use the law. They will be our guiding principles, and H.E., the President believes these guidelines can jumpstart the next phase of managing the water resource,” Afande Tukahirwa added.
All around her trip across Victoria, several fisherfolk communities celebrate her approach that includes teaching and engagement of fishermen without rights violations.
At Lambu landing site, fishermen who struggled while hiding from a reign that left many injured while who were others imprisoned celebrated the respect of human dignity by the current regime of the Fisheries Protection Unit.
“For heavens sake, we have not been attacked. Previously, we were seemingly running up and down while being beaten and harassed. Today, the available authorities train and implement with respect for human life,” said Charles Kalemba, the LC III chairperson for Bubeke Sub County.
The Fisheries Protection Unit was in February 2017, instituted by the President to fight all illegal fishing practices on Lake Victoria. The team works hand in hand with the Fisheries Officers and other state institutions in eradicating the vices.
As fishermen celebrate the Lt. Col. Mercy Tukahirwa led team, the FPU also deliberated on a number of pledges made by H. E the President especially as Gen. Yoweri Museveni met the fisherfolk in Jinja recently.
Amongst the pledges, the President promised to improve transport, health and education amongst fishermen. “The President also said, he is offering Ugx 1 billion in each district to ensure that fishermen in groupings can access resources to buy better fishing methods. In Kalangala, I need to tell the President that 1 billion ain’t enough. Each sub county needs to get a billion to ensure that all our people benefit,” Afande Tukahirwa says.
As she deliberates, several saboteurs and adversaries attack the Fisheries Protection Unit on issues relating to the scaling down of arrests of fishermen and a decline in fish stocks.
However, experts and Fisheries officers have blamed the drop in fish stocks on over fishing caused by an increase on the population of people engaging in fishing practices across all lakes in the country.
“More people are now joining the sector. Well as we all want our people to make money, we also need to further regulate the number of boats on the water bodies so as for us all to benefit from the value chain.
The FPU also says, H.E the President is immensely engaged in research that will advance better fish farming methods including the rearing of fish through Aquaparks and fish cages on all water bodies.
Lt. Col Tukahirwa asked Islanders to make the right decisions, choosing leaders who will make the right decisions and policies based on the available laws within the county. She also reopened Kyankolokolo – Kasizi landing site on Bugaba Island, Lulindi – Nabumba and Buwunge on Bufumira, and Kagoonya on Lulamba Island, all in Bufumira Sub County.
