The UPDF has broken the silence about circumstances under which a Kenyan fisherman was shot dead in Namayingo earlier this week.

In an incident that happened on Tuesday, July, 4, in Namayingo district close to the Kenya- Uganda border , Fred Mangeni Pamba,a Kenyan fisherman from Port Victoria Landing Site in Western Kenya was shot dead whereas his colleague , Dalas Igoma sustained injuries.

According to the UPDF Marine Commander, Brig Michael Nyarwa, while on their official duties of boat licensing operations, officers of the Fisheries Protection Unit intercepted 11 illegal fishermen including five Kenyans and six Ugandans.

However, the officer in charge of the Kenya Coast Guard Unit called the officer in charge of the Fisheries Protection Unit at Lolwe sector in Namayingo district to release the Kenyans, a request which was granted.

The UPDF Fisheries Protection Unit officers returned to their base.

"When the Fisheries Protection Unit crews were returning to their base, their engine was entangled in nets and their boat stopped. These nets had been casted by another group of Kenyan illegal fishermen. As the crews were disentangling the nets from the engine, the illegal fishers became violent and hit a civilian coxswain with an oar," Brig Nyarwa said.

The UPDF Marines commander explained that at this point that one of the soldiers opened fire at the violent fishermen killing one, and another one drowned.

"Subsequently, another civilian who was also working with FPU, was pulled from the boat and taken to Kenya by the illegal fishermen."

With the vast Lake Victoria being shared by Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, there have been incidents of conflict between Kenya and Uganda, especially on fishing in each other's waters.

The incidents have culminated into shootings in which several Kenyan and Ugandan fishermen have been killed whereas many others have been arrested on either side.