President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has donated new modern fishing equipment to over 3,000 fishermen at Kasenyi Landing site in Kasese district under their umbrella body Kasenyi Twetongole group, an initiative for empowering citizens for sustainable development.

The consignment which included modern fishing boats, engines and fishing nets was officially handed over to the fishermen by the State House Comptroller, Jane Barekye on January 28, 2024.
Barekye cautioned fishermen against selling off the new modern fishing gears but urged them to utilize the equipment to eradicate poverty.

She said that President Museveni wants them to register into a SACCO, open a joint account for it and use the modern fishing tools to fish, sell the fish, save onto the account, then use the saved income for other productive measures that will help them get out of poverty.

Barekye further told the fishermen that a few boats can earn them a lot of money if well managed, and advised them to form groups for easy management and direction, but also for President Museveni to empower them easily.

“Ten boats can make the Kasenyi fishermen earn six million per month and if you multiply it in a year, it is 72 million shillings and in five years, it is 360 billion shillings. So through savings in the SACCO, poverty eradication is possible if the money is used profitably and not wasted,’’ Barekye said.

Major Emma Kuteesa, the program coordinator said that their goal is to ensure that more than 4,000 people benefit from this program, adding that President Museveni had also promised to give the fishermen some money for their SACCO as a contribution from him to build their investment.

Kuteesa said that the people of Kasenyi are not only involved in fishing but in other activities like salt mining and tourism, saying that every person in the area will benefit. He added that he was happy that the President contributed greatly to the earnings of the people of kasenyi.

According to the Chairperson of the Kasenyi fishermen Robert Ddamulira, many youth in Kasenyi are not employed. He, however, said that this is going to help them earn a living.

Ddamulira also said that the new modern fishing equipment and gear were going to help them stop the bad fishing methods and running into trouble with the marine force.