Govt orders crackdown on unlicensed fishermen
Fishermen at Kigungu Landing site, Entebbe Municipality, prepare their fishing gear on November 28,2021. Government has extended deadline for registration of fishermen countrywide. PHOTO/ Eve Muganga
What you need to know:
- During this year’s Tarehe Sita celebrations in Kalangala District, Major Joseph Cherop, an intelligence officer with the FPU, announced that all boat operators were required to obtain valid licences by March 15.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) has directed the Fisheries Protection Unit (FPU) to immediately enforce boat licensing regulations on Lake Victoria, targeting fishermen operating without valid licences.
Mr Jimmy Atyang, the assistant commissioner for Fisheries Regulation and Control, told the Monitor in a telephone interview on Thursday that the ministry issued a formal directive authorising the FPU to begin enforcement against fishermen without valid licences.
He advised fishermen who have not yet paid for their licences to contact the fisheries department in their respective districts and resolve the matter before being arrested. “It is not our wish to put fishermen behind bars, but it seems some comply after being locked up,” he added .
During this year’s Tarehe Sita celebrations in Kalangala District on February 6, Major Joseph Cherop, an intelligence officer with the FPU, announced that all boat operators were required to obtain valid licences by March 15, however, the deadline passed without the soldiers under FPU taking action.
Lt Lauben Ndifula, the FPU spokesperson, said they have been waiting for an official communication from the Ministry to swing into action. FPU was formed by President Museveni in January 2017 to crack down on illegal fishing on Ugandan water bodies, which was blamed for the dwindling fish stocks in the country.
Although the work of soldiers under FPU has been commended by a section of stakeholders in the fisheries sub-sector, many politicians and fishermen have criticised them over their high-handedness in dealing with people suspected of engaging in illegal fishing. Mr Adrian Kavuma, the Kalangala District fisheries officer, partly attributes the fishermen’s delay in paying for a licence to technical faults in the new digital licensing system a lack of technical knowledge to use the digital platform. The ministry noted that the renewed enforcement is part of efforts to curb illegal fishing and restore declining fish stocks on Lake Victoria and other water bodies.
Mr Sunday Gerald Kayita, the chairperson for Mazinga Sub-county, Kalangala District, said they need more time to pay for the licence. Mr Charles Kalemba, the chairperson for Bubeke Sub-county, said while the government needs revenue, it must first sensitise the fishing communities on tax compliance. He warned that enforcing taxes during poor fishing seasons would be counterproductive. According to the ministry, as of March 20, 2024, a total of 14,160 boats had been registered on Lake Victoria, but only 9,306 had valid licences, representing 64 percent compliance. Under the licensing framework, boats on major lakes such as Victoria, Albert, Kyoga, Edward, George, and Wamala must pay Shs100,000 annually.
Those on smaller lakes pay Shs50,000, while vessels on rivers, swamps, and dams pay Shs25,000. Foreign-owned boats pay Shs2 million. Fish trucks are charged between Shs250,000 and Shs750,000, depending on size, and fish factories pay Shs3 million annually. Each individual working on a fishing boat must also obtain a personal licence for Shs25,000.
REGISTRATION
The first attempt by the government to register fishermen and boat owners was in 2011, but the programme stalled after the government failed to secure funds.
In February 2023, Parliament passed the Fisheries and Aquaculture Bill, 2021, which, among others, prescribes a Shs40m fine or a jail sentence of two years for those found selling fish without a valid fish trade license.
