Sixteen fishermen from Tanzania are among the lucky few who are lucky enough to have been shown mercy by the Kenyan Court. The fishermen were arrested two days ago and detained by the Kenyan Beach Management Unit officials who accused them of illegal fishing in Kenyan waters and using unauthorised gear to fish.
The 16 fishermen were today set free by a Migori Court after the court failed to uphold illegal fishing charged levelled against them.
The Tanzanians were arrested on Sunday along the shores of Lake Victoria near Bamgot beach in Migori County.
According to Migori County Police Commander Joseph Nthenge, the court ordered the men to obtain a valid license from the Kenyan government if they have to go on with their fishing activities.
The release of the Tanzanian fishermen comes barely a few weeks after 36 Kenyan fishermen detained in Tanzanian over allegedly trespassing. According to the Chairman of the Muhuru Ward Beach Management Unit, Tobias Mragire, Tanzanian authorities demanded Ksh. 200,000 from each fisherman.
Mragire accused the Tanzanian officials of being cruel towards Kenyan fishermen, adding that they have been met with unnecessary hostility and now want intervention from the Kenyan government.
In the past, Kenyan fishermen in Lake Victoria have also been arrested and charged on similar grounds by both the Tanzanian and Ugandan authorities. Fishermen from the three countries have in the past demanded that the lake be demarcated with red ribbons to enable them know where the boundaries are.
“Currently, we are just using guesswork to establish where those boundaries could be in the lake,” said Mr Bros Otieno, a Kenyan fisherman from Muhuru beach.
Do you think the Migori Court should have let the Tanzanian fishermen go so easily?