This archive report was first published on 12 August 2019.
Ugandan security forces have been accused of brutalising Kenyan fishermen on Lake Victoria, with victims recounting tales of torture and harassment.
According to eyewitnesses, fishermen have been arrested, whipped, and forced to eat raw fish by Ugandan soldiers.
One such victim, Rajab Daudi Ongoma, a 60-year-old resident of Port Victoria, Budalang'i Constituency, was arrested two months ago while fishing in the lake.
He was among six men who were seized by men in military gear, taken to Dolwe Island, and subjected to torture.
"They told us the punishment for engaging in illegal fishing in their waters was 100 strokes of the cane. They whipped us and left us hungry in the waters for 12 hours," Mr Ongoma said.
He added that the officers made them eat raw fish after which they beat them again.
Mr Ongoma is part of the statistics of fishermen who have been brutalised by Ugandan security officials.
They are whipped, made to eat raw fish, their boats seized, and forced to pay hefty fines while some spend weeks or months in filthy police cells.
According to Mr Sylvester Ouro, a fisherman from Sisenye, Ugandan officers insist on a 48ft boat, which is very expensive in terms of purchase and maintenance compared to the 28ft canoes most Kenyans own.
Another requirement is size nine hooks, which are meant to catch big fish.
"They arrested me in May and towed my boat to Munene island where I was made to kneel in the water for about two hours and forced to eat my catch," Mr Ouro said.
"They hit me in the face, stomach and back when I refused to do as told," he added.
Mr Ouro is yet to return to the lake, and fishermen quizzed said confiscated gear is never taken to Ugandan courts as exhibit.
"Most fishermen produce at least Sh50,000 to get back their gear. Some have sold their household items and livestock to raise the amount," he said.
Busia County Beach Management Units Network chairman Sylvester Kaywa has appealed to President Uhuru Kenyatta to come to the aid of the more than 26,000 fishermen spread across the 20 beaches.
"Many of the fishermen have been rendered jobless. Kenyans have become hostages in their own country. Fishermen say the government has abandoned them," Mr Kaywa said.
Kenya allows the use of size 4.5 nets, but anything lower than six in Uganda is illegal.
Deputy President William Ruto has announced plans to set up a marine and fisheries institute in Sisenye, while Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa has assured Kenyan fishermen that the government is doing everything to end the harassment.
