Four Ugandans nationals including a soldier were arrested in lake Victoria for soliciting bribes from Kenyan fishermen.
The three civilians who had also donned military attires colluded with the soldier to intimidate the fishermen.
The four had crossed to the Kenyan waters and were harassing the fishermen at 3am on Thursday, December 23. They had also detained 10 of the fishermen and were demanding Kshs30,000 from each one of them.
Their mission was however thwarted when Kenyan Coast guards swung into action following a tip off from members of the public. The military officer who had an AK-47 rifle was disarmed.
According to the Bunyala OCPD Peterson Nyakundi, the canoe detaining the fishermen was heading to Uganda when the Coast guards caught up with it.
“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 coast guards efforts on acting while swiftly stating that Kenyans have become easy prey for Ugandans who want to make easy money.
He urged the Kenyan government and that of Uganda to find a lasting solution to stop the harassment that Kenyan fishermen have been subjected to in the lake for so long.
“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.
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