This archive report was first published on 17 August 2019.
On Friday evening, six Kenyan fishermen from Remba Island in Homa Bay County were apprehended by Ugandan authorities in Lake Victoria. According to Remba Beach Management Unit chairman Semekiah Mamra, the fishermen were arrested for allegedly trespassing into Ugandan waters and were taken to Hama Island in Uganda for detention.
The Ugandan authorities confiscated the fishermen's two fishing boats and fishing gears, as well as fish worth an unknown value. Mamra called on the Government to intervene and salvage the fishermen.
However, Mbita Sub County Police Commander Charles Mwangi stated that he had yet to receive an official report about the arrest, saying 'I am yet to receive an official report but I have heard people talk about the incident.'
Earlier this week, Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo and her Bondo counterpart Gideon Ochanda had called on the Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i to deploy security officers in Lake Victoria, citing the need for Kenyan security officials to patrol the lake more effectively.
