Five districts lose revenue over closure of landing sites

MASAKA. Masaka, Kyotera, Mpigi, Rakai and Kalungu districts have suffered a combined loss of more than Shs1 billion in local revenue following the closure of landing sites, Daily Monitor has learnt.
Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) officers under the Fisheries Protection Unit (FPU) closed several landing sites on major water bodies across the country on grounds that they were not gazetted and are being used by unscrupulous fishermen to deplete the lakes.

Although the landing sites were illegal, the district authorities note that they have lost a lot of local revenue, which the administrative units used to collect from various business.
Mr Fredrick Mwitale Gessa, the Masaka principal district fisheries officer, said they have lost more than Shs800m after the closure of eight landing sites in Buwunga, Kyanamukaaka, Kyesiiga and Bukakkata sub-counties.

Mr Gessa explained that out of 18 landing sites in Masaka District, only three are gazetted. They include Lambu and Kachanga and Ddimo.
“We used to collect about Shs1 million from each landing site every month, and since eight of them were closed, we lose Shs8 million per month. Many businesses at the sites were closed because most of them were targeting fishermen,” he said in an interview last week.
According to Mr Gessa, businesses such as bars, shops, restaurants, and fuel stations were closed.

Mr Francis Kimuli, the Buwunga Sub-county chairperson, said: “Mumpu and Mutemante landing sites were our main source of revenue.”
“We were collecting Shs750,000 monthly from the landing sites as a sub-county and this money used to do much, especially paying some staff and funding road construction works,” Mr Kimuli said.
Mr Kimuli said many people who used to live at the landing sites relocated to Tekera, Nakiyaga, Bazenkuke towns Buwunga Sub-county, but that they are living miserably.

“Currently, the main business in Buwunga is prostitution. Theft has also become the order of the day, government should revive its strategy of closing landing,” Mr Kimuli said.
Mr Kimuli suggested that government should always plan for people who lose jobs by giving them start- up capital.
The Kyanamukaaka Sub-county chairman Mr Mesach Ssebula noted that out of the six landing sites in his area, four of them (Kolokoso, Kyasa, Mumpu and Kakyukyu) were burnt.

Mr Ssebula said the two gazetted and operating landing sites, Namirembe and Bbaale, are still supervised by soldiers.
“The revenue collection we got from there used to help us in paying sitting allowances for councillors. Recently, they [councillors] even declined to attend a meeting demanding for enhancement of their allowances, and this has greatly affected us,” Mr Ssebula said.
The Masaka District production and natural resource committee chairperson, Mr Ibrahim Kabugo, claimed the UPDF officers fighting illegal fishing have failed to issues standard requirements.

“Some landing sites we see in other districts are also in a bad state, but they are still operating. What criteria are they are using to close some and leave others to operate?” Mr Kabugo asked.
But Lt Col James Nuwagaba, the commander Fisheries Protection Unit, said all the closed landing sites were not gazetted and that more illegal ones will be shut down.
Mr Richard Kyabaggu, the Kalungu District chairperson, said they have lost more than Shs80m from the closure of Bulingo and Kalangala landing sites.

Although Mr Patrick Kisekulo and Robert Benon Mugabi, the Kyotera and Rakai District chairpersons respectively, both acknowledged a significant financial loss.
According to the Mpigi District chief administration officer, Ms Lucy Frances Amuren, 25 landing sites were closed during the enforcement and currently they have lost about Shs200 million.

Key issue

According to Ministry of Agriculture, Uganda has a fish capture potential of 750,000 tonnes annually; the current production is at 461,000 tonnes and 100,000 tonnes from aquaculture. There are 250 species of fish in the country’s major lakes of Victoria, Kyoga, Albert, George, Edward and more than 160 minor lakes.

Voices
“We used to collect about Shs1 million from each landing site every month, and since eight of them were closed, we lose Shs8 million per month. Many businesses at the sites were closed because most of them were targeting fishermen,” Fredrick Mwitale Gessa, Masaka principal district fisheries officer

“The houses constructed on the landing sites should be permanently built with all the necessities such as pit-latrines, and hygiene must be considered as a priority. After that, may be they can apply to the Ministry (Agriculture) and a team of inspectors can be sent to scrutinize whether they meet the standards and be reopened,” Tom Bukenya, assistant commissioner regulations in the Ministry of Agriculture

“Some landing sites we see in other districts are also in a bad state, but they are still operating...” Ibrahim Kabugo, Masaka District natural resource committee chairperson

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