Nangoma islanders still stranded

KYOTERA.

More than 4,000 residents, who cross from Nangoma Island in Lake Victoria to access services at Kyotera District, have today entered the tenth day without transport means after Fisheries Protection Unit soldiers destroyed their canoes.
On May 18, the soldiers descended on the island and destroyed all canoes suspected to be used in illegal fishing activities.
However, local leaders insist the canoes were exclusively for transporting islanders to the mainland.
Among the most affected are people living with HIV who cross to get ARVs from Kakuuto Health Centre IV and Kasensero Health Centre III, traders and school children who are expected to start a new term today.
Nangoma is a remote sub-county, south of River Kagera on the Uganda–Tanzania border. The Island is only accessible by boat or plane.
When one uses a boat from Nangoma to Kasensero it is a shorter distance which costs Shs4,000 to and fro. But if one decides to use a vehicle from Kyotera Town, he has to first cross Mutukula border and enter Tanzania, covering a distance of 195km, which costs Shs40,000.
Due to difficulties in transportation on the Ugandan side, some residents in Nangoma find it convenient to access basic social services like medical care and education from the Tanzanian side.
Ms Edna Kumanya, the chairperson Nangoma Sub-county, says poor residents have been solely relying on the destroyed canoes to cross to Nasensero.
“It is a pity that the government sent men in the army uniforms to destroy boats our people have been using to access the mainland without giving them alternatives. They [soldiers] ignored all our pleas to spare the canoes,” he said.
However, Lt Col James Nuwagaba, the FPU commander, said his team had spared four canoes to operate at Nangoma, but they later destroyed them after they were used in illegal fishing.
“But after negotiations with district leaders, we have resolved to assist the islanders with our emergence boat for a period of 40 days, which we think is enough for the district to purchase a legalised boat to transport people,” he said by telephone last Saturday.
FPU was established by government last year to crack down on illegal fishing in the country.
During their operations, many people dealing in immature fish have been arrested and several ungazetted landing sites destroyed on the shores of Lake Victoria in the districts of Wakiso, Mpigi, Kalangala, Masaka, Kyotera, Rakai, Mukono, Buvuma and Buikwe.
Ms Robina Ssentongo, the Kyotera Woman Member of Parliament, asked government to check the conduct of some soldiers under FPU, saying they have meted out untold brutality to fishermen.
“The government must accept that on those islands there are bona fide residents, who stay there and are supposed to access the main land daily. In areas where they have failed to provide free public means, simple boats should be left to operate on the lake since they are not involved in fishing,” Ms Ssentongo said.