UPDF sets up committee to examine operations of the Fisheries Protection Unit

The Chief of Defence Forces, Gen David Muhoozi, has instituted a seven-man committee chaired by Maj Gen Leopold Kyanda, to examine and streamline the operations of the Fisheries Protection Unit (FPU) on all the major water bodies of Uganda.

This follows a number of complaints from the community about the high handedness of the UPDF officers during operations.

FPU was formed in 2016 to address the situation of fast deteriorating fish stock in the country due to illegal fishing practices.

“In order to consolidate the achievements of the Fisheries Protection Unit, the strategic leadership formed this committee to implement the structuring of command of the task force at all levels, ensure individual task force personnel who could have committed some mistakes are held accountable, and establish structures to ensure effective Civil Military Cooperation as well as reporting lines,” said Kyanda.

He noted that the establishment of the Fisheries Protection Unit had yielded enormous benefits to the fishing communities in particular and the country at large that needed consolidation.

Kyanda said two years after the establishment of FPU in 2016, there was increased fish biomass of up to 68 percent and revenue collection.

"In 2017, government collected Shs 400 million of revenue from fish through licensing alone.I n 2018 it rose to Shs 800 million while in 2019 the country realised Shs 2.7 billion,” said Kyanda.

Kyanda, who led the committee to Rubirizi, thanked the district leaders at all levels for their continued support to the UPDF generally in executing not only its combat operations, but also other operations such as fisheries enforcement.