Women Fishers in Uganda Plead for Relief Amid Light Fishing Ban

Female silverfish, or mukene, traders have launched a passionate plea for the government to lift the ongoing ban on light fishing. Speaking during the commemorations of the International Day for Women in Fishing Environments at Kiwulwe landing site in Bugiri-Kawuku, Wakiso District, the affected women stated that the restriction has shattered their economic survival and plunged their households into poverty.

Janerose Nansubuga, Programs Officer at FIAN Uganda, highlighted that the vast majority of these individuals are single mothers and sole breadwinners. Without access to the lake, many are struggling to secure even a single meal a day, let alone pay for children’s school fees. Nansubuga noted that alternative livelihoods proposed by the government, such as farming, are insecure and inaccessible, especially as wealthy investors dominate expensive cage farming and industrial aquaculture.

Among those severely affected is Christina Nassuna, a resident who spent three decades trading mukene. With four children depending on her and her husband having left, Nassuna shared that her children have dropped out of school and suffer from severe hunger. Another trader, Teopista Mukabasezi, lamented that she can no longer afford special care for her disabled child or basic needs for her five children. Voices from Lake Albert echoed similar hardships, noting rising rates of school dropouts, early marriages, and destitution.

To amplify their grievances, FIAN Uganda has established the Silverfisher Movement to organize women across Lake Victoria, Lake Albert, and Lake Kyoga. The movement has petitioned Parliament and engaged lawmakers to find a balanced solution that preserves the natural resource while protecting vulnerable women’s economic rights. Read the full story on the Daily Monitor.