Nadduli: It’s time to withdraw UPDF from lakes
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Senior Presidential Advisor Alhajji Abdul Nadduli has urged President Yoweri Museveni to withdraw the Fisheries Protection Unit (FPU) from Uganda’s lakes, arguing that the unit has deviated from its intended mission. The FPU, composed of Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) soldiers, was deployed in 2017 to curb illegal fishing practices on the country’s lakes.
Speaking on the matter, Nadduli, a former Minister Without Portfolio, acknowledged that President Museveni’s original plan was beneficial. However, he claimed that FPU operations have become counterproductive, with daily complaints from fishermen and local leaders about extortion, excessive force, and the involvement of soldiers in illegal fishing activities.
Nadduli recommended that responsibility for enforcing fishing regulations should be returned to the Ministry of Fisheries and the fishermen themselves. He warned that the continued presence of the FPU could hurt the National Resistance Movement (NRM)’s standing among fishing communities, who were once loyal supporters.
He cited the 2021 elections in Nakasongola, where the opposition candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine) garnered 33% of the votes compared to Museveni’s 65%, partly due to dissatisfaction with FPU operations.
Nadduli argued that boasting about the restoration of fish stocks in the lakes is meaningless if the cost includes loss of lives, injuries, and ruined livelihoods. Fishermen from Nakasongola’s landing sites have also accused the FPU of brutality and corruption, claiming that some soldiers take bribes to overlook illegal fishing activities while arresting others.
They called on Nakasongola County MP Noah Mutebi to petition President Museveni to investigate the FPU’s actions on Lake Kyoga. On November 5th, 2024, President Museveni defended the FPU’s deployment, citing the critical situation on Uganda’s lakes. However, he advised the enforcement team to adopt NRM’s traditional methods of engaging with communities, such as holding bi-monthly meetings to gather feedback on soldiers’ behavior.
“The population is a free mirror. Every two months, call for a meeting and ask how your soldiers are behaving; in this way, the people will tell you,” Museveni suggested during a meeting at State House Entebbe with ministers, technical staff, and other stakeholders discussing enforcement against illegal fishing.
He emphasized that lakes are national assets and should be managed for the benefit of all Ugandans. “A lake is a common property for all Ugandans; it is not like Rwakitura, which is private property. Lakes, mining sites, etc., are not personal properties. Even me, at Rwakitura, I’m a shareholder of Lake Kyoga, so this business of going to the lake and deploying yourself there as a fisherman should be solved,” Museveni remarked.
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