By KT Reporter
Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Party leaders are demanding the government to compensate the Jonam fishing community for the destruction and loss of their fishing gears.
The fishing community lost their fishing gear to the Fisheries Protection Unit (FPU) while conducting operations on both the Lake and the River Nile, which resulted in the loss of lives.
The demand to compensate the fishermen was echoed by the FDC Party Deputy President in charge of Northern Uganda, Hassan Kaps Fungaroo while addressing party members in Pakwach Town.
Fungaroo and other FDC party leaders who held meeting with FDC party supporters in Pakwach district in search for the replacement of former FDC flag bearer for Jonam County Emmy Ongiertho who crossed to the ruling party (NRM) says, Jonam are the most disadvantaged communities in Westnile region after losing their land on the Eastern part of the Nile in Nwoya district.
He adds that the Jonam community was the richest community in Westnile before the operations of the fisheries protection unit, which denied most of the fishing community access to the lakes, yet fishing was the only economic activity.
“FDC as a party is demanding that the government compensate Jonam people who are from the fishing community and lost their fishing gear due to abrupt fishing policies and regulations put aside by the government without any alternatives for their livelihoods.”, Fungaroo said.
Florence Akumu, an FDC supporter in Panyango sub county says, long ago, Jonam people were paying their children in good schools because fishing was the only economic activity in place that generates income but, today the only economic activity has been taken over by government rendering community without options and unable to pay school fees.
“We lost our land to Acholi on the eastern part of the River Nile, and when we came to fish, our fishing nets and gears all got impounded including loss of lives of our community members in the water while attempting to escape from being arrested by the Fisheries Protection Unit FPU”, Akumu said.
Last month, the Woman Member of Parliament for Pakwach, Jane Avur Pacutho, tabled the concerns of Jonam people to Minister for Northern Uganda Kenneth Omona, urging the government to revive the economic status of Jonam people after losing their lands and fishing which used to be the only economic activity.
She said fishing on River Nile is no longer free as it used to be because policies and regulations on fishing have denied the local community to fish freely, since the fishing gears are expensive to afford, Jonam people are in extreme poverty calling upon the government to come up with alternatives to the plight of Jonam-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
