President Yoweri Museveni (pictured) has refused to sign the Fisheries and Aquaculture Bill 2021 into law insisting on having the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) to oversee the monitoring of lakes and water bodies across the country.
The President’s position was revealed in a letter he wrote to Speaker Among, asking Parliament to reconsider two clauses in the bill before he appends his signature on the bill.
In clause 13 of the Bill, the Ministry of Agriculture had proposed for the establishment of Fisheries Monitoring Control and Surveillance Unit within the Directorate of Fisheries Resources to protect fish and their environment, fish products and aquatic flora and fauna against fisheries malpractices and generally to enforce the provisions of this Act and any other applicable law.
Further in clause 13(2), Government proposed to have the Fisheries Monitoring Control and Surveillance Unit which shall comprise persons appointed by the Service Commission and trained by the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces in para-military skills.
The proposal also sought to empower the Minister in charge of Fisheries in consultation with Minister of Defence by statutory instrument, make regulations to organize and deploy the Surveillance Unit as well as determine the terms and conditions of service grades, ranks and appointment and discipline of officers of the Surveillance Unit.
However, Parliament’s Agriculture Committee in their report on the Fisheries and Aquaculture Bill recommended for replacement of UPDF with Uganda Police Force on grounds that the constitution only gives Police powers to ensure law and order.
Janet Okori-Moe, Chairperson Agriculture Committee said that the Uganda Police is best placed to conduct the training of the Surveillance Unit since it is responsible for preserving law and order, and the protection of life and property, adding that the replacement of the Minister for Defence with the Minister for internal affairs is a consequential amendment since the Uganda Police Force is under Ministry of internal affairs.
Now, the President has asked Parliament to reconsider the decision taken and ensure that the surveillance of Uganda lakes is handled by both the Army and police.
“Given the need for continuous surveillance, and sophisticated ways by people involved in illegal fishing, the support for both UPDF and Uganda Police Force are required,” wrote the President.
The President also asked Parliament to reconsider Clause 4 on the definition of licensing officer where the bill interchanged it with a chief fisheries or district fisheries officer, saying if left in its current state, it will cause confusion and lead to malpractice in the sector and proposed to have the licensing officer should be the chief licensing officer.
However, Leader of Opposition asked the members of cabinet to up up their game, saying the consideration of bills by parliament is a consultative process and the President returning the Bill indicts the Ministers, and depicts them as Ministers who aren’t doing their job.
“We spend a lot of time processing these bills and when these bills are returned, it has implications, that probably the line Ministers especially for a government bill didn’t do their job. The President being head of Executive returning bill after bill is an indictment of the members of the front bench, I would like to invite Cabinet to rise to the occasion,” said Mpuuga.
However, Chris Baryomunsi, Minister of Information, Communication and Technology and National Guidance rejected Mpuuga’ assertion arguing that the President returning the bill indicates he just doesn’t rubber-stamp work from Parliament but rather reads through the bills processed by legislature.
