Lake Victoria fishing dispute puts livelihoods and breeding grounds at odds

Families around eight Lake Victoria landing sites say fishing arrests and restrictions are leaving them struggling to buy essentials and repay loans, while boats linked to a private operator allegedly keep fishing in the same protected waters. Fishermen in Mpunge Sub-county, in Uganda’s Mukono District, have petitioned the Ministry of Fisheries to investigate, according to The Independent Uganda, reporting a URN dispatch.

The fishermen accuse Harrison Porter, a foreign national operating from Bulago Island, of fishing in an area reserved for fish to breed and stocks to recover. They raised their complaints at a meeting called by Mukono South MP Robert Maseruka to discuss pressures on fishing communities. Their central grievance is unequal enforcement: they say local crews face arrest or are denied access while boats associated with Porter continue working inside the restricted zone. The supplied report contains no response from Porter.

Protected waters, disputed enforcement

The communities involved use the Kiziru, Buleebi, Kasaali, Baale Kamwaanyi, Ndeya, Nankoko, Kazikake and Koone landing sites. Fishermen said the disputed waters were designated a Lacustrine Protected Area—a protected section of a lake—under fisheries regulations introduced in 2010. Fishing inside such areas is prohibited, and offenders face prosecution and a fine of at least 200,000 shillings. The dispute therefore concerns both access to a source of income and enforcement of rules intended to preserve fish stocks.

Mustafah Kalyango, the fisheries official responsible for the area, told the meeting that Porter had reportedly received government authorisation to guard the breeding ground. That permission, he said, required the area to be protected from fishing and other illegal activities so fish could breed and mature. Kalyango alleged that Porter had not met those conditions. He also alleged that Porter brought 33 boats into the protected area and was supplied with security personnel, but that the boats subsequently began fishing there.

Kalyango said fishermen had reported beatings, destroyed nets and damaged boats. Separately, fishermen accused some fisheries and security officials of misusing their enforcement powers. They alleged that some people arrested were asked for more than 500,000 shillings to obtain their release, while others lost equipment or faced physical harassment. These accounts were presented as allegations, rather than established findings of an investigation.

Household finances under pressure

For the families involved, the consequences extend beyond lost access to fishing grounds. Fisherman Fred Mujwala asked Maseruka to intervene, saying repeated arrests and restrictions were making it harder to support families. Women at the meeting said the detention of husbands and relatives had left households struggling with basic expenses and repayments on loans used for fishing activities and household needs. They sought help securing the release of fishermen held on remand.

The fishermen called for the same fisheries rules to apply to everyone, regardless of nationality or status.

Maseruka said he would take the complaints to the relevant authorities and work with other Lake Victoria legislators to seek a meeting with Fisheries Minister Robert Migadde Ndugwa. Those discussions would address how recent changes to fisheries laws are being implemented, with the aim of protecting stocks while considering communities that have relied on the lake for generations.

He also proposed reviewing the protected area’s boundaries and size without removing protection from critical breeding grounds. The next steps to watch are the requested investigation, clarification of who may operate inside the zone, and whether the proposed ministerial talks and boundary review move forward.