In February 2017, a year just after the 2016 general elections, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni instituted the Fisheries Protection Unit, a UPDF Marine outfit that was charged with the fight against illegal fishing on Lake Victoria.
On a mild Tuesday evening, communication came through the then District Chairperson for Kalangala Willy Lugoloobi, that a team of up to nine Marines had been seconded to handle the Kalangala plight.
With more than 84 islands to monitor and enforce the law, Kalangala’s nine UPDF soldiers were given a palatial home on the periphery of Kalangala Town.
An idle fish handling facility at Mwena Landing site became home and center for fighting illegal fishing.
Islanders, with initially education on better fishing methods, saw the burning down of landing sites such as Kagoonya – Lulamba in the quest to eliminate people from engaging in illegal fishing.
A fight between a UPDF soldier and a fisherman would turn into a shooting spree, leaving people injured.
“Seriously, we were struggling from illegal fishing. But the solution to fighting illegal fishing wouldn’t necessarily be beating us up. We were beaten, even pregnant mothers in Mutambala were left to suffer as the FPU then moved to uproot one fisherman with monofilament,” says Alex Mugisha a fisherman at Mutambala landing site.
An orgiee of the blood letting, in 2019 left a trail of despair. An attack at Ssenyondo Island in Buwama Sub County left many people at a point of no return.
On December 15th 2020, President Yoweri Museveni replaced then Commander of the Fisheries Protection Unit, Lt Col James Nuwagava with Lt Col Dick Kaija after a series of calls from Parliament, then led by Rebecca Kadaga to investigate atrocities on Lake Victoria.
Also, Lt Col Mercy Tukahirwa (at that time Maj.) was also appointed as the Investigating Officer at the FPU Command in Entebbe.
As Kaija balanced between closing down landing sites and a halt on rights violations, President Yoweri Museveni reshuffled him in 2023 with Lt. Col. Mercy Tukahirwa as the new Commandant of the Fisheries Protection Unit.
By the time she started command, several route managers had turned the Fisheries business to a black market, where people were transporting immature fish to Bunagana and Eastern Congo, a market that had turned to the verge if extinction by 2018.
Lt. Col. Tukahirwa immediately swung into action putting a halt on eight route managers who promoted illegal fishing, stopping them from not only fishing, but also transporting immature fish through the Western border to Congo
Also, the Commander increased base for monitoring fishing activities on the Lake. In Kalangala alone, a Ziiru out post in Bufumira was introduced, and one on Funve Island. Also, an outpost at Lujaabwa Island was also introduced to immediately stop the engagement by fishermen in illegal fishing.
“We can at least now try to manage the different areas, based on the available man power. Previously, it would be tedious for us to move from one station to the furthest island,” says one of the commanders of the Fisheries Protection Unit.
More commanders have, so far, now been taken to Fisheries training institutes where they get more knowledge about the fishing and how fishermen can be handled.
At the very inception of the FPU command, the Association of Fishers and Lake Users of Uganda – AFALU was used as a main point of reference between the FPU and its operations, sidelining the Fisheries department and the Fisheries Directorate.
However, many mistakes ensured as FPU kept on with its operations that led to the burning of landing sites, harassment of people that led to the death of some of them.
Upon getting into office, Col. Tukahirwa and team looked for long-term interventions that would have professional work done at all landing sites on Lake Victoria.
“Currently, we have best practices. Even silver fish is handled well. Our people are taught and now know better fishing methods as regulations to the new Fisheries and Acquaculture Act are being drafted. We are work in progress, and fishermen are now charged with the duty of understanding how best they can keep the water resource thriving,”says Charles Kalemba, a sub county Chairperson for Bubeke.
Currently, the underlying problem still faced by FPU and the fight against illegal fishing is the availability of markets for immature fish and monofilaments.
The monofilaments act as illegal fishing gear. Despite not being manufactured in Uganda, they are imported in the guise of other works but end up being used on Lakes as illegal fishing gear.
“We have asked the President to not only investigate but also take action by closing the entry of such nets. We shall have no more illegal fishing since the illegal nets won’t be in supply,” says Elly Wasajja, one of the leaders of the fisherfolk associations in Uganda.
On the periphery, the Fisheries Protection Unit currently engages in more education of fishermen, for it is a cause that they believe needs more enhancement.
“You get to an area, all fishermen are not even aware of the laws governing them, and neither are they taught of the existing instruments. Our work as we regulate also entails teaching you what you need to do before we come and implement the law,” Lt. Col. Tukahirwa told Kachanga residents last year.
In Kasese, Lt. Col. Mercy Tukahirwa found a closed border with dwindling local revenue generations due to Covid 19, from Ugx 600 million local revenue generations, Kasese District Local Government had turned to a paltry Ugx 50 million challenging service delivery.
Upon immediate interventions, Kasese is now thriving with increasing Local Revenue generations of up to 1.2 billion shillings from her efforts to reopen the border to fish trade as she also fostered Unity amongst the stakeholders in the business.
“We now eat mature fish again. Our families are healthier, and our businesses are thriving,” said a trader at Mpondwe, adding that “She (Afande Mercy Tukahirwa has brought dignity back to the FPU. We trust them now.”
Several other leaders claim, her leadership is creating opportunities not just to the fishermen but also the country at large with more revenue generations and better income streams and sources.
On balancing life, work and family, the happily married officer is said to be finding time, “although duty calls abruptly for me to save the country from the dire effects of illegal fishing,” Lt. Col Mercy Tukahirwa says.
