In 2019 when a troop of coast guards arrived in Budalang’i to man Lake Victoria, fishermen breathed a sigh of relief.
They had suffered for long in the hands of rogue Uganda soldiers. The coast guards were meant to provide maritime security services to the fishermen in the vast lake. They were also expected to conduct search and rescue services while patrolling the lake.
It was around the same time Kenya and Uganda were engaged in a bitter exchange over the control of Migingo. Both countries lay claim to the island.
The force that brings together personnel drawn from the police, Kenya Defence Forces, National Intelligent Service and civilian professionals seconded from the Public Service Commission was to also guard against illegal fishing.
Everything moved like clockwork: Fishermen at Mulukoba beach, Buhanya, Bujwang’a, Omenya and Marenga Sinyenye beaches would fish peacefully with no harassment since the presence of the Kenya Coast Guards patrolling the lake kept Ugandan forces at bay.
But 10 months later, whatever achievements that had been realised earlier appear to have gone down the drain.
“We thought the guards’ arrival would protect us from harassment and torture we were undergoing in the hands of Ugandan soldiers, but we were wrong,” said Moses Otiato, a fisherman.
“Instead of providing us security, these guards are the ones inflicting double pain on us through arrests and unlawful detention,” said Otiato, based at Busembe beach.
He claimed the guards usually target engine boat operators “and we have been barred from accessing the lake on grounds that we do not have certification from the Kenya Maritime College in Mombasa”.
“We have been forced to withdraw our boats from the lake for fear of being arrested, detained and asked to pay hefty fines ranging from between Sh10,000 – Sh80,000 to be set free. We are unable to fend for our families due to lack of finances as our livelihood largely depends on fishing,” said Otiato.
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