A Ugandan soldier and three civilians who had posed as military men to solicit bribes from unsuspecting Kenyans were arrested in Lake Victoria.
Reports indicated that the soldier was part of the group that had donned military attire to intimidate Kenyan fishermen.
The four Ugandans were arrested after crossing into Kenyan waters in Lake Victoria and harassing local fishermen. They had reportedly detained 10 Kenyan fishermen.
According to reports, the four Ugandans were demanding Ksh30,000 from each one of the 10 fishermen in the 3 am incident on Thursday, December 23, 2021.
The Kenya Coast Guard Service officers, however, thwarted their plans after Kenyans reported the incident. Officers from the Kenyan side jumped into action and disarmed the military man who had an AK-47 rifle.
Bunyala OCPD, Peterson Nyakundi, told journalists that the Kenyans were detained in a wooden canoe that was heading to the Ugandan side when the coast guards caught up with them.
"The Kenya Coast Guard Service officers received an alert that the foreigners had captured ten of our citizens and were demanding a bribe of Ksh30,000 from each one of them before setting them free.
"The officers moved swiftly and thwarted their plans, first, by disarming the military man who had an AK-47 rifle and an axe before the four suspects were taken into police custody," Nyakundi stated.
The secretary of Bunyala Beach Management Network, Omondi Ndeke, commended the Kenya Coast Guard for taking swift action noting that Kenyans had become easy prey for rogue Ugandans who wanted to make easy money.
He further lamented that Kenyan fishermen had been subjected to harassment in the lake for a long time and called on both governments to find a lasting solution.
“Kenyan fishermen have lost over ksh2.5 million through extortion over the past two months. As we speak, five of our fishermen and five boats have been detained in Uganda,” Ndeke told the press.
This comes barely four months after Kenyan fishermen held demonstrations in Homa Bay after one of their own was allegedly killed by Ugandan security forces.
The irate fishermen called on the government to protect them from what they termed as harassment by the Ugandan officers during fishing expeditions in Lake Victoria.
According to the fishermen, Haraphat Okinyi Nguka was allegedly shot dead by the Ugandan security officials and his body thrown in Lake Victoria.
