Fishermen, landlords clash over docking site
Boats docked at Kigungu landing site. Photos | Eve Muganga.
What you need to know:
- The fishermen have been forced to dock their boats on nearby land due to rising water levels that have submerged the entire docking site, causing conflict with the landowners.
A dispute has occurred between fishermen and landowners at Kigungu Landing Site in Entebbe Municipality, Wakiso District, over the use of the docking site.
The fishermen have been forced to dock their boats on nearby land due to rising water levels that have submerged the entire docking site, causing conflict with the landowners.
“The landlords don’t want us to dock at their land yet we also have nowhere to go as the entire place is flooded,” Mr Fred Sserwadda, a fisherman, told Entebbe Municipality leaders on Thursday.
The fishermen are calling on the government and local leaders to intervene since the landowners are requesting that they pay a fee of Shs20,000 per boat to dock.
They argue that they pay taxes and should be allowed to dock in the 200-meter buffer zone that should be left free.
The Secretary of Production, Marketing, and Social Rehabilitation at Entebbe Division B, Mr John Ndugga, has appealed to the landowners to permit the fishermen's boats to dock temporarily while the government works to address the issue.
“We appeal to the landowners to realise that this is not a long-term situation. So permit the fishermen to dock their boats, as the government comes on board to address the matter,” he said.
Mr Ndugga suggests that the government could buy land around Kigungu shores for fishing activities for future generations.
Kigungu Catholic Church submerged by water
He also notes that the challenge of rising water levels is affecting the entire Kigungu Village, with houses, roads, and churches all being submerged by water.
The Chairperson of Division B, Richard Ssekyondo, agrees with Ndugga's appeal and emphasizes that chasing the fishermen away is not a solution. He notes that the rising water levels are a temporary situation, and once they reduce, the fishermen will return to their original places.
“It’s wrong for one to have a land title on the lake shores. NEMA has to come on board and establish who gave out these land titles. I also appeal to the so-called land owners to let these fishermen dock their boats because rising water levels aren't only happening at Kigungu landing site,” he said.
He noted that the challenge of rising water levels is all over Kigungu Village as houses, roads and churches are submerged by water.
