The State Minister for Fisheries, Hellen Adoa has blamed the Death of Fishermen at Lake Kyoga on the strong winds and small boats.

While speaking to journalists on Thursday, August 31, 2023, in Serere district, Adoa said that the continuous drowning of Fishermen is resulting from the strong winds, and use of small boats by fishermen.

“The reason for these deaths are strong winds and they were also using small boats. One body was found and two have disappeared up to now. Last week, I again received reports from the Fisheries Protection Unit that one person had drowned in the lake. Still according to them, it’s due to use of small boats and wind,” she said.

This follows reports about the mysterious deaths of fishermen in her district and the recovered drowned bodies in the lake that were bruised.

Adoa said that her electorates had called her over the matter between the local fishermen and the Uganda Peoples Defense Forces (UPDF) Fisheries Protection Unit (FPU). Fishermen claim that after seeing the speed boat of the soldiers, they jump in the water to avoid being arrested.

She added that, when she contacted the Unit over the matter, it confirmed that the drowning of the fishermen is due to the strong wild winds on the lake.

She also said that the issue is not only in Serere but also Kalaki where two people drowned due to winds. The local fishermen fear to be arrested and later charged. As a result, they jump into the water without life jackets since they cannot afford to buy them.

Minister Adoa noted that, as the locals try to recover the bodies from the lake, they use sharp objects that probably pierce the bodies and end up bruising them.

“According to the locals, after fishermen saw the soldiers on an engine boat, they tried to take off but unfortunately, one failed to run away. When the team went trying to search for the body, they went with different kinds of hooks and spears trying to look around the place,” she noted.

She noted that, investigations into the controversial information are ongoing, adding that, there are many things the ministry wants to put into action like sensitization for both the fishermen and FPU.

“How do you follow the illegal fishermen, how do you handle them? But also to the fishermen, are we going to continue with illegal fishing?” she questioned.

She however, noted that, the challenge faced by fishermen is poverty, hence they are not scared to die while trying to look for means of survival for his family.

She pledged on behalf of government, to set aside a special fund to support the local fishermen through Parish Development Model (PDM), and buying the right fishing gears.