Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City.
KENYA and Uganda have agree to resumed the suspended joint survey work in Lake Victoria to establish the exact border and restore the ownership of the disputed two fishing islands of Migingo and Ugingo in Lake Victoria.
The two survey teams will report to their respective governments within two months. While the exercise is going on the two governments have agreed that contingent of police team from both countries would be deployed to patrol the islands.
The dispute over the ownership of Migingo Island has been the subject of heated exchange between the Kenyan and Ugandan governments with the MPs in Kenyan parliament up in arms urging their government to take military action to restore its sovereignty over the two islands.
Uganda has been adamant posting its marine police to patrol the two island and despite of repeated agreement that it should pull its security personnel out of the two islands to allow the joint team of surveyors to complete their work an determine the exact boundaries.
Meanwhile the Kenyan Ministry of Fisheries is set to spend over Kshs 6 billions within three years to beef up security in Lake Victoria.
Disclosing this good news, the Assistant Director of Fisheries Michael Obadha said the money is to buy surveillance boats, train rescuers in time of disasters, and introduce coast guards. The envisaged plans, he added are in advance stage.
He was addressing fishermen an fish traders at Mahanga fish landing beach in Siaya County .He said plans to introduce coast guards to patrol the Kenyan side of the lake against pirates and criminal element is in advance stage. Coast guards are a special security agents who deal with safety and criminal matters around water bodies.
The Ministry said the Obadha is now waiting for procurement of equipment and training of personnel who will be hired as coast guards before launching the essential service needed around the Kenyan side of Lake Victoria.
He said decision to introduce coast guards services was arrived at following rising insecurity in the lake. Fishermen have persistently complained of piracy and harassment from security agents from the neighboring countries.
The director assured fishermen that the presence of coast guards in the lake would be felt within the next one year. He said the constant wrangling between Kenyan fishermen and fishermen from neighboring countries were unhealthy and needed to be addressed urgently.
Obadha, however, advised the fishermen to desist from demanding more rights given that Kenya had the least size of water bodies in Lake Victoria.
His remarks come amid complaints by the Kenyan fishermen over harassment from neighbors .The neighbors accuse Kenyans fishermen of invading their territorial waters. “Although we only have six per cent of the entire water mass in Lake Victoria, yet we have majority of fishing crafts and fishermen in the lake. If each country was to stick to its territory, then we will be the sufferers.”
Director Obadha called on the Kenyan fishermen to be calm and patient over border conflicts. He further urged the fishermen to safeguard the cordial relationship with the neighboring counties of Uganda and Tanzania as their survival in fishing business depended on this.
He, however, cautioned that Kenya should be taken for granted over Migingo and Ugingo fishing island in lake Victoria, which Ugandan are illegally occupying at the moment, though the government wants to see the matter solved harmoniously.
Ends