This archive report was first published on 7 January 2020.
Uganda's parliament closed for the Christmas break amidst a dramatic showdown with the military over the operation to save Lake Victoria's fish. The MPs had resolved to suspend the year-long Uganda People's Defence Forces operation, citing concerns over the soldiers' handling of fishermen.
However, the operation on the water intensified over Christmas, with Captain Aaron Abaho, the commander in the Lake Victoria islands, explaining that the MPs were complicit in the fishing mischief, seeking to boost their votes ahead of the February 2021 elections.
As the military continues its operation, the pollution of Lake Victoria remains a pressing issue. The lake's water samples were recently found to have only two grammes of dissolved oxygen, a level that is too low to allow fish to thrive.
The biggest culprit behind the pollution is Kampala city, which empties industrial and untreated human waste into the lake. The National Environmental Authority, headquartered in Kampala, has failed to enforce engine oil disposal standards, with an estimated 20 million litres of oil poured into the lake every year.
Meanwhile, the Uganda army has been working on a project to manufacture electric buses, which could help reduce the pollution in the lake. The project, led by the Kiira Motors Corporation, has partnered with the military to build the buses, leveraging the army's capacity to do the job.
As the public is getting scandalized by the direct clash between parliament and UPDF, it is clear that the military is committed to saving Lake Victoria's fish, despite the challenges and criticisms it faces.
