Districts row over L. Edward revenue
Aug 15, 2009
THE three districts sharing Lake Edward have stopped funding activities that protect the lake from over-exploitation. Bushenyi, Kasese and Rukungiri stopped the funding after the fisheries ministry stopped them from collecting revenues from fishermen.
by chris ahimbisibwe
THE three districts sharing Lake Edward have stopped funding activities that protect the lake from over-exploitation. Bushenyi, Kasese and Rukungiri stopped the funding after the fisheries ministry stopped them from collecting revenues from fishermen.
As a result, the districts have lost interest in protecting the lake.
The Bushenyi district fisheries officer, Anthony Rubeihayo, expressed fear over the move, saying the boycott would cause over-fishing since there is no body left to monitor activities on the lake.
Rubeihayo said on Tuesday that the districts had refused to fund the elections of leaders to manage the lake beaches.
The term of the leaders currently managing the lake expired last year.
The fisheries officer explained that they had appealed to the districts’ authorities to reverse their decision as they awaited a solution from the fisheries
ministry.
Recently, the committees in charge of the lake were battling fishermen from the DR Congo, accusing them of illegally fishing in Ugandan waters.
Under the Lake George Basin Integrated Management Organisation, a donation of shs4.8m had been secured from Protos, a Belgian organisation, to facilitate the exercise of electing committees to oversee the nearby Lake George, Rubeihayo said.
THE three districts sharing Lake Edward have stopped funding activities that protect the lake from over-exploitation. Bushenyi, Kasese and Rukungiri stopped the funding after the fisheries ministry stopped them from collecting revenues from fishermen.
As a result, the districts have lost interest in protecting the lake.
The Bushenyi district fisheries officer, Anthony Rubeihayo, expressed fear over the move, saying the boycott would cause over-fishing since there is no body left to monitor activities on the lake.
Rubeihayo said on Tuesday that the districts had refused to fund the elections of leaders to manage the lake beaches.
The term of the leaders currently managing the lake expired last year.
The fisheries officer explained that they had appealed to the districts’ authorities to reverse their decision as they awaited a solution from the fisheries
ministry.
Recently, the committees in charge of the lake were battling fishermen from the DR Congo, accusing them of illegally fishing in Ugandan waters.
Under the Lake George Basin Integrated Management Organisation, a donation of shs4.8m had been secured from Protos, a Belgian organisation, to facilitate the exercise of electing committees to oversee the nearby Lake George, Rubeihayo said.