The deceased has been only identified as Kumakech, a fisherman attached to Mbegu landing site in Kabaale Sub county Hoima district. His other colleague who survived the boat accident is only identified as Opio.
Project X youth innovators is a team of six university graduates who devised means of earning income by introducing unique water transport devices within the country. This time around, they designed a bicycle with two light pipes at the sides which enable it to keep afloat along the lake.
They argue that the uncontrolled levels of pollution have deterred several fish species from multiplying because their breeding areas are contaminated with unspecified amounts of acidic waste from factories. The fishermen pinned Nile Agro and Skyfirt Leather Industries for establishing an extension of 50 meters into Lake Victoria.
State Minister for Fisheries Hellen Adoa Says that many of the encroachers have failed to heed to calls to vacate the shoreline, threatening the natural resources and their habitats. According to Adoa, all the lakes are now covered with floating islands that descended from the weakening shorelines as a result of human activity.
By this morning, a number of gardens and pig houses were floating on parts of the lake that are adjacent to Masese landing site, Rippon falls and Rock. The same villages are also threatened by the rising water levels which are seemingly threatening to guzzle the Lake Victoria shoreline.
Maj. Joseph Ssebukera, the Commandant of the UPDF Fisheries Protection Unit on Eastern Lake Victoria, says the impounded nets carry electric current, which peels off fish skin causing it to die and float on the lake.
According to the fishermen, it is hard to predict where they will find the hyacinth as they set off for fishing deep in the lake or transport people from Kayunga to other places such as Luweero and Nakasongola districts.
Akandwanaho notes that cases of illegal fishing practices have increased and over 2500 illegal boats commonly referred to as “bao tatu” and 800 beach seines have been impounded in the past seven months.
Francis Bagumire, a fisherman faults government for failure to institute measures on safe pesticide and chemical usage. He says that the incident is a big challenge to the fishermen since they rely on fishing for their livelihood.
The grenade burst and shuttered Gavuma’s body to pieces this morning while pushing his boat into River Nile. Fishermen normally connect homemade grenades on their boats and link them to small bulbs to attract more fish.
However, the boat engines were recovered by the Congolese authorities in Ituri province Governor in the Democratic Republic of Congo-DRC following an engagement between the Ugandan and DRC officials.
Samuel Kisembo, the Hoima Resident District Commissioner-RDC who is also care taking Kikuube told Uganda Radio Network on Thursday morning that they decided to step up deployment to counter any attacks by suspected Congolese militiamen following the arrest and detention of their colleagues.
According to Obura, four Congolese militiamen, armed with an AK 47 rifle raided Lake Albert waters near Nkondo landing site in the wee hours of Tuesday morning and started robbing fishing gear including fishing nets, hooks and boat engines from Ugandan fishermen.
Tilapia lake virus has been reported in countries like Kenya, and Egypt where it is believed to stop fish multiplication resulting into fish depletion from the lake and farms at large.
The Jinja Zone UPDF spokesperson, George Musinguzi says that they are conducting both day and night search for the body of their colleague. The main search area is around the Owen falls dam which has been cordoned off and restricted from fishermen, tourists, and other water users.
