Three months after the government imposed a nationwide ban on mukene (silver fish) fishing and the use of certain fishing nets across Uganda’s water bodies, families at Nangooma landing site in Mpunge Sub-County, Mukono District, are staring at the face of starvation.
What was once a bustling fishing community is now a scene of despair. When we visited Nangooma landing site , the usually vibrant shores were eerily quiet.
Instead of the familiar sight of fishermen hauling in glistening catches of mukene or mending nets under the sun, dozens of idle boats lay idle, some already showing signs of damage from prolonged disuse.
Children, visibly malnourished and painfully thin, wandered between the boats. Some cried weakly from hunger, while others resorted to the desperate act of drinking large quantities of water simply to fill their empty stomachs. Several fishermen were seen sleeping in their boats during the day, too weak or demoralized to do anything else.
Women at the landing site, many of them mothers struggling to feed their families, narrated heartbreaking stories of survival.
“Since the ban was imposed, we have nothing left,” one woman said, her voice breaking. “The hunger has become so severe that it is now killing our children. We have no food, no money, and no other way to survive. We even ate the money the government gave us as capital for development projects. We used it to buy food just to stay alive a little longer.”
The fishermen, most of whom have spent over 20 years at Nangooma landing site, say mukene fishing is the only livelihood they have ever known.
“This is the only job we know,” said one veteran fisherman who declined to be named for fear of repercussions. “We have families to feed — wives, children, and even extended relatives who depend on us. Now we are just sitting here waiting to die of hunger. We are begging President Museveni to have mercy on us and allow us to resume fishing. If not, at least provide us with transport so we can return to our home districts before we all perish here.”
The three month ban, intended to allow fish stocks to regenerate and combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices, has hit small-scale fishermen particularly hard.
Many at Nangooma depend entirely on the daily or seasonal catch of mukene, a staple source of affordable protein for many Ugandan households.
The NRM Chairperson for Mpunge Sub-County, Mr. Ssebazaana Lwakatete, together with the sub-county NRM mobiliser, Mr. Vincent Muvunyi, have made a passionate plea to President Yoweri Museveni.
“We are requesting the President to forgive his people at the landing sites,” Lwakatete said. “The situation is very bad. These are families with children. They have nothing to eat. We ask that they be allowed to resume their work so they can at least put food on the table.”
Councillor Jjuku Sam painted an even grimmer picture, warning of rising lawlessness and social breakdown.
“Because people have no food, theft and other forms of crime are increasing in the area,” he said. “At this point, some people have resorted to eating rats just to survive. This hunger is pushing our community to the edge.”
The fishermen and their families are now anxiously waiting for government intervention. Many say they remain loyal supporters of the ruling NRM government but are pleading for urgent relief either through the lifting or relaxation of the ban for small-scale mukene fishers, or through immediate food aid and alternative livelihood support.
As the ban enters its fourth month, the question lingering at Nangooma landing site is no longer just about fish stocks, but about how long these families can continue to survive without any source of income or food.
