Addressing fishermen at Nakibanga Landing Site in Kyamuswa Sub County Kalangala District on Monday, Kirya said that he received reports about the move, which involves some district leaders and found it to be true.
Dick Kirya
Kaija, the Commandant of the Fisheries Protection Unit-FPU has raised a red
flag on the ongoing move by some fishermen in Kalangala district to solicit
money from their colleagues purportedly to pay off the unit to turn a blind eye
to illegal fishing practices.
Addressing fishermen
at Nakibanga Landing Site in Kyamuswa Sub County Kalangala District on Monday, Kirya
said that he received reports about the move, which involves some district
leaders and found it to be true.
He, however, warned to arrest whoever is behind
the move, saying it is aimed at tarnishing the image of the FPU.
//Cue
in:"Nafunye complaint nti..
Cue out:..mu mbuga zamateeka:"//
According to
Kirya, the fishermen want to pay off FPU officers to allow them to catch the
banned Cynodon dactylon-flying fish locally known as Nkolongo.
The Unit suspended the
catching of Cynodon dactylon-flying fish in 2017.
David
Ggaliwango, the Chairperson Nakibanga Landing Site, says the solicited funds
were meant to transport fishermen to deliver their petition to the FPU base in
Mwenna.
“We wrote to Fish Protect Unit on allowing us to smoke and catch Cynodon dactylon. So
the funds were intended to transport fishermen,” Galiwango said.
//Cue in:"Ekigambo ekyo kyabaddewo..
Cue out:..okuyayana kwa bonna,"//
He, however, failed short of mentioning how much
they collected from the fishermen.
In 2018, a year after the introduction of operations
against illegal fishing practices, Fishermen on different landing sites contributed money to pay off officers to allow
them to catch Cynodon dactylon fish.
Samuel Nkuba
Freelancer