BY KNA
Fisherfolk in Vanga, Kwale county, have raised concerns over continued harassment by Tanzanian police.
The officers accuse the fishermen of fishing on the Tanzania side of the Indian Ocean and using illegal gear.
Speaking to KNA, the fishermen said the constant bullying by the Tanzania security officers had become unbearable and they would like the government to intervene and set a clear boundary that would end the dispute.
The Vanga community resides in a small village adjacent to the Kenya-Tanzania border in Kwale county, and their main source of livelihood is fishing and rice farming, which is done on a small-scale basis. Most women who cannot go to the ocean sell fish.
However, the business has challenges since the ocean they fish from is shared with neighbouring Tanzania, which has a bigger part of the water mass than Kenya.
Fishermen and the traders have asked the government to intervene and set a boundary at the Indian Ocean in Vanga.
They say the Tanzanian police force deployed at the sea to guard it is brutal to Kenyan fishermen, who “accidentally” cross over to look for more fish.
TERRIBLE ORDEALS
Bwamrii Masha recounted undergoing terrible ordeals when caught by the Tanzanian officers, saying they were sometimes flogged, forced to eat raw fish or given punitive tasks to complete before they are set free.
Senior chief Kama Abdallah of Vanga location said the locality is safe in terms of criminal gangs, explaining that it has been long since they registered any insecurity case.
However, he said human trafficking and illegal trade from neighbouring countries were issues of concern, noting that drugs were also smuggled into the country.
Abdallah noted that the cross-border relationship with neighbouring Tanzania needed to be relooked and addressed adequately, emphasising the importance of collaboration, particularly in dealing with criminals. Some crooks could easily sneak into the country as a hideout after committing offenses in their countries.
“We have a challenge as nine kilo- meters from Vanga location is a Tanzania police unit who are manning the border. Our citizens have complained of harassment and sometimes their identity cards are confiscated when they present them for identification purposes.
“As the local government, we are working on a collaboration with our fellow leaders in Tanzania, but my plea is to have as many sittings as possible, to tackle these issues and other emerging cross-border challenges,” he said.
He added that sometimes fishermen are forced to enter the Tanzanian side of the ocean to fish since fish could either be pushed to Kenya or Tanzania by monsoon winds.
Many fishers do not have identity documents thus end up in problems.
Abdallah said there were 980 of them but only 450 have licenses.
Tanzanian chairman of the Beach Management Unit Shauri Athman confirmed that Kenya fishermen have been arrested and punished based on their fishing mistakes.
Athman said the Tanzania government has set aside some areas where fishing is prohibited. However, he said Kenyan fishermen still fish in those restricted areas.
