In November 2009, the Council of Ministers of Lake Victoria Fisheries Organisation agreed to clean up and deal with illegal fishing and trade on Lake Victoria.

The clean up exercise, which ended recently, took 14 days with each country contributing US$1.56 million. Kenya and Uganda are still in the process of raising the funds.

The two-week exercise, according to the Director of Animal Husbandry in the Ministry of Agriculture in Uganda, William Olaho-Mukani, involved the sensitisation drives among local communities, burning of illegal fishing gear, removing the weed from the lake and protecting the water from contamination.

The fishing sector in Uganda contributes about 18 percent of the country's total export income.

Raphael Mweninguwe