It will be Christmas Day in less than a week but we are off to
Mukono district for a five-day work schedule. The National Fisheries Resources
Research Institute (NaFIRRI) frequently reaches out to communities and as a
science journalist, I am always excited to join them especially to understand
how effective they are in linking science to society. This time the message we
are delivering is on cage fish farming. Our mission is to encourage fisher
communities to start rearing fish in cages. This is necessitated by decreasing
fish catches in Uganda’s waters. We are to cover several fish landing site on
the mainland and on the Island of Koome.
December 19, 2014: Having spent the previous night in Mukono
town we arrive at this point only to find corruption entangled Katosi Road blocked
by rowdy youth over dust. We have to reverse very fast before the police arrive
with teargas. The alternative route is much longer, rougher but safer for now. Today
we are to work at the landings of Kiziru, Buleebi, Nangoma and possibly Katosi.
This is what a cage looks like, and this is how it works! NaFIRRI’s
cage fish farming specialist Colleb Nuwahereza (l), assisted by colleagues Saul Waigolo
(Information Communication and Outreach Officer - in blue shirt), Alice Endra (Information Specialist-facing camera)
and Stephen Olupot (Fisheries Officer Mukono District - right) demonstrates to fishers
at Kiziru landing site.
Somewhere Saul has to ride at the back of our aging pick-up
because there is not enough space inside the car. We have picked up some very
important people for our activity in the next landing sites.
The night passes at a nameless “lodge” in Katosi. These
people only offer you a bed and mattress. No pillow, no water, no soap, no
towel, no slippers, no toilet paper, no table, and no lock at the door. You can,
however, get water and bed sheets on request. This is one of the best places to
spend a night at here.
It is the morning of December 20 and I have to wear the
right gear for the 3-hour boat ride to Koome Island.
We are joined by Mukono District Woman MP Peace Kusasira (l) and
Mukono LC5 Vice Chairman Musa Kiggundu. The leaders of this district are
excited about cage fish farming and have mobilised their Koome electorate for a
seminar on the subject at the Koome sub county community hall.
After the seminar we have to spend the night here at Zingoola landing
site.
Outside we have a small wooden bathroom but it is locked. Even
if it were open I doubt any of us can use it. Our rooms can serve that purpose
if used carefully so, no worries!
The nearest latrine is half a kilometre away from here and we are informed it has faeces all over the floor. It is important for us to tame our appetite. In the event of a running stomach, a boda boda will be required to access a distant but cleaner bush. A return journey costs Shs 2000. That is beside the risk of embarrassment if the bowels burst in public.
The nearest latrine is half a kilometre away from here and we are informed it has faeces all over the floor. It is important for us to tame our appetite. In the event of a running stomach, a boda boda will be required to access a distant but cleaner bush. A return journey costs Shs 2000. That is beside the risk of embarrassment if the bowels burst in public.
There is a lot to see in the places we visit the following
day. Cooking stones at Kisu landing site, a wooden flat at Lugumba landing site
and here, the kids offer to dance for me.
But there is also this in Bugingo Bay a large project of
cage fish farming worth a few billion shillings.
I will tell you the owner later on, certainly not a small person. You can get a hint from these signatures in the visitors’ book.
Whole day we have been on water with a faulty engine on our hired boat. It keeps leaking fuel and sometimes goes off. As the time approaches 8pm we see our destination on the mainland, Katosi. But we can’t get there before the engine fails again. It is dark and no one can see us. Strong winds start to blow our boat in the opposite direction, towards the deep, open waters of Lugumba, the place of our last visit on Koome Island. “Is fuel finished,” asks Stephen. “No. There is fuel. I don’t know what the problem is now,” responds the coxswain. Ring, ring; my mother calls. I don’t know what to tell her now. “Mom I am on a boat. Will call you back in a few minutes,” I say hastily. When the engine re-starts several minutes after there is a sigh of relief! Another night at the nameless lodge!
The following morning is exciting. Fish being brought from
the Islands to Katosi, the main landing site here, but the place is not as active as
it used to be.
As we end our tour with that message at Saul’s back, I
reflect on what we have been through. These people do a lot of work amidst loads of risks. Their boss, Dr. John Balirwa, a
result-oriented man, and an honorary member of the Uganda Science Journalists
Association (USJA), will congratulate them after every successful trip, and
send them on another mission. He himself has gone through it all!
