Mweena Fish handling facility in Kalangala has finally been handed over to district authorities, almost eight years after it was rejected over shoddy work.
The fish handling facility is located at Mweena landing site in Kalangala town council.
In 2004, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries contracted Spencon Construction Company to undertake the construction of the facility. The facility cost five billion shillings which was borrowed from the African Development Bank to address poor fish handling in the district.
However, upon its completion in early 2005, Kalangala authorities rejected it on grounds that it was constructed in a shoddy manner. The fishermen accused Spencon of failing to install Ice-making components, a key factor used in fish handling.
The fishermen also claimed that Spencon did not install big preservatives given the fact that dozens of fishermen were supposed to use the facility.
Kalangala district leaders also said that Spencon failed to construct a 1km tarmac road to connect to the facility from Kalangala town council. This forced Spencon to fix some of the missing components.
But on Tuesday, Spencon Construction Services handed the facility to Ruth Nankabirwa, the State Minister for Fisheries who then handed it over to Kalangala district.
Jackson Baguma, the Kalangala district Fisheries Officer, says the facility has been accepted after most of the missing components were installed. He explains that Spencon fixed the Ice-making component which is the most vital in fish handling.
Baguma says the opening of the facility means over 5000 fishermen who lacked basic preservatives to keep their fish are able to use it. He claims that the district has been losing millions of shillings as fish got spoilt due to lack of handling facilities.
Bujumba County MP Fred Badda who had earlier agitated for the facility to be re-done, says he is happy Spencon listened to the people’s demands. He, however, says they have accepted it after getting commitment that the one-kilometre tarmac road which is in the contract is going to be worked on.
Isaac Opetto, a fisherman at Lutoboka landing site in Kalangala town council, says they are happy with the facility because it will ease the way they handle fish. Opetto, however, asks government to reduce taxes on legally accepted gears saying they are expensive.
Opetto explains that many fishermen are using illegal fishnets because they are cheap compared to those recommended by government. He argues that unless the tax on legally accepted fishnets is reduced, fish stocks in Lake Victoria will continue to dwindle and this will affect the amount of fish needed to feed the newly opened facility.
Records from Kalangala district fisheries department show that an estimated 30,000 people are engaged in fishing activities in the district.
