President Museveni, the Commander-in-Chief of the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF), has with immediate effect dropped Lt Col Mercy Tukahirwa as the commander of the Fisheries Protection Unit (FPU) and ordered the unit’s disbandment.
In a statement released on Friday, the Acting UPDF spokesperson, Col Chris Magezi, said the directive was issued through the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
Col Magezi announced that the Fisheries Protection Unit has been renamed the 155 Marines Battalion, which will now operate under the command and administration of the UPDF Marines Brigade.
“Major Joseph Ssebukeera has been appointed the Commanding Officer of the newly formed 155 Marines Battalion, while Brigadier Michael Nyarwa remains the Commander of the UPDF Marines Brigade,” Col Magezi said.
He added that Lt Col Tukahirwa has been redeployed to the Office of the Senior Presidential Advisor on Defence and Security (SPADS), Lt Gen (Rtd) Proscovia Nalweyiso, where she will undertake other duties.
The decision to drop Lt Col Tukahirwa comes amid reports that the FPU had grown excessively powerful, with several fishing communities questioning the unit’s conduct on Uganda’s lakes.
Earlier this month, President Museveni directed that all fishing gear and boats confiscated by the FPU be returned to their rightful owners. While campaigning in Buliisa District, the President said fishermen from Ntoroko had complained of extortion by officers attached to the unit.
He tasked Maj Gen Daniel Kakono, Commander of the Field Artillery Division, to oversee the return of the confiscated items.
“If the motorcycles, boats, and engines are not there, you should go for the soldiers who were responsible for confiscating them,” Museveni directed.
Sources indicate that landing site committees under the Fisheries Protection Unit had become increasingly brutal toward fishermen, prompting the President to order their dissolution.
Col Magezi said new committees, comprising representatives from indigenous fishing communities and investors, will be established to replace the dissolved structures.
He added that the Deputy Chief of Defence Forces, Lt Gen Sam Okiding, and the Chief of Defence Intelligence and Security (CDIS), Maj Gen Richard Otto, have been tasked with overseeing the formation of the new landing site committees. The exercise is expected to be completed within three months.
“We thank Lieutenant Colonel Tukahirwa for successfully concluding her tour of duty as the outgoing commander of the FPU,” Col Magezi said.
