Samuel Kisembo, the Hoima Resident District Commissioner-RDC who is also caretaking Kikuube says they unanimously agreed that fishing on Lake Albert should be suspended for 32 days.
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Fishermen with fishing boats at Kyehoro landing site in Kikuube district.
The District Security Committee in Hoima and Kikuube districts have
suspended fishing activities on Lake Albert to prevent the spread of the
Coronavirus.
The decision to halt fishing activities was reached at during a security committee meeting for both districts
held in Hoima on Tuesday.
Samuel Kisembo, the Hoima Resident District Commissioner-RDC who is also care taking Kikuube says they unanimously agreed that fishing on Lake Albert
should be suspended for 32 days.
Kisembo says some Ugandan fishermen cross up to the Democratic Republic of
Congo-DRC and mix freely with fishermen before crossing back to the Ugandan
side, which posses a risk of contracting the virus.
The RDC has tasked fishermen to strictly adhere to the new directive to ensure
that they prevent the virus from spreading in the region.
Kisembo adds that boat transport has also been suspended on the lake for the 32
days.
To implement the directive, the RDC says they have heavily deployed Uganda Peoples
Defense Forces-UPDF soldiers and other sister security agencies along the
shores of Lake Albert to ensure that no fisherman goes into the lake.
Kisembo says they have also liaised with their counterparts of Kagadi, Pakwach,
Nebbi, Buliisa and Ntoroko to ensure that the guideline is strictly effected.
David Onyutha, a fisherman at Songagagi landing site in Kigorobya Sub County
says the directive is good but it is too abrupt and will affect the income of
the fishermen.
Hoima, Buliisa, Kikuube, Nebbi, Ntoroko and Kagadi districts are
at the porous border points with the Democratic Republic of Congo.
