Senior Presidential Advisor Al-haji Abdu Nadduli has urged President Yoweri Museveni to withdraw the Fisheries Protection Unit (FPU) from Uganda’s lakes, arguing that the unit has deviated from its intended mission.

The FPU, composed of Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) soldiers, was deployed in 2017 to curb illegal fishing practices on the country’s lakes.

Speaking on the matter, Nadduli, a former Minister without Portfolio, acknowledged that President Museveni’s original plan was beneficial. However, he claimed that FPU operations have become counterproductive, with daily complaints from fishermen and local leaders about extortion, excessive force, and the involvement of soldiers in illegal fishing activities.

Nadduli recommended that responsibility for enforcing fishing regulations should be returned to the Ministry of Fisheries and the fishermen themselves. He warned that the continued presence of the FPU could hurt the National Resistance Movement (NRM)’s standing among fishing communities, who were once loyal supporters. 

He cited the 2021 elections in Nakasongola, where the opposition candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine garnered 33% of the votes compared to Museveni’s 65%, partly due to dissatisfaction with FPU operations.

Nadduli argued that boasting about the restoration of fish stocks in the lakes is meaningless if the cost includes loss of lives, injuries, and ruined livelihoods. 

Fishermen from Nakasongola’s landing sites have also accused the FPU of brutality and corruption, claiming that some soldiers take bribes to overlook illegal fishing activities while arresting others. 

By Our Reporter

14 Nov 2024

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