President Yoweri Museveni has pardoned culprits apprehended by the army in their operation against illegal fishing habits.
In a directive issued to Colonel Mercy Tukahirwa, the Commandant of the Fisheries Protection Unit (FPU), President Museveni ordered the discharge of all vehicles, boats, and other fishing gear impounded in illegal fishing operations conducted on the various landing sites.
Speaking at the ‘NRM for Buganda’ mobilization rally, which was attended by Ministers and MPs from Buganda at Kalisizo town council playgrounds in Kyotera district on Sunday, Col Tukahirwa confirmed that she received instructions to hand back to the owners all the properties that were confiscated in their operations.
The meeting that was organized by State Minister for Microfinance Kyeyune Haruna Kasolo is part of the NRM’s broader crusade aimed at regaining support in the Buganda region, after the ruling party suffered a humiliating loss in the last general elections.
According to Tukahirwa, President Museveni listened to appeals from the various leaders and relaxed his initial position to allow culprits to take back their seized properties, which are currently impounded in the different military barracks.
Kasolo, however, cautioned fishing communities against resuming the condemned fishing habits, saying that the President has yet to pronounce himself on the complete withdrawal of the Fisheries Protection Unit from fishing grounds.
According to him, the party has previously conducted an honest assessment of their poor performance in the last general elections, and they are currently reaching out to the communities to fix the identified gaps in the form of service delivery and remobilize Buganda ahead of the next election.
Besides political mobilization, Kasolo and all the Ministers are also using the platform to expound on the various projects the government has done or intends to undertake in the different parts of Buganda, saying the approach is providing them opportunity to counteract the pessimism and falsehoods that had been spread by the opposition.
He indicates that they had expected the Buganda Parliamentary Caucus to champion the aspirations and service delivery needs of the region, but it instead chose divisive politics, which prompted them to assume the responsibilities as members who subscribe to the ruling party.
Rosemary Namayanja, the NRM Deputy Secretary General, noted that they have undertaken to mobilize the communities in the Buganda region to transcend politics of excitement, and instead support to attract tangible results to their areas.
She indicates that their agenda to remobilize Buganda is partly intended to present to the government a solid voice of leaders, who are capable of pushing improved service delivery and other aspirations of their region.
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