By MN Reporter

Four Kenyan fishermen off Kibro Beach in Muhuru Bay ward have been released 68 days after being arrested by Tanzania police officers off Lake Victoria.

The four, Gordon Owiti who was the owner of the boat and Erick Mosomi, Samuel Isaya, and Joseph Stephen set off to fish around Migingo Island on June 25 and were arrested on June 26.

“We were tired and were sleeping when we found the trawlers Tanzanian fishermen had affected our fish,” Owiti said.

A total of over Sh350,000 was used to release the four after they were wrongly charged with stealing 17 fish worth Sh17,000 and charged with robbery with violence charges.

Their boat, engine and fishing gears all worth over Sh300,000 are still being held at Sota beach in Tanzania.

Owiti, Mosomi, Isaya and Stephen were later taken to Tarime Courts where they were charged with robbery with violence.

At the prison, Mosomi narrates how they were being beaten using clubs and had injuries they are yet to recover from.

For Owiti, his swollen left foot was as a result of the beatings he used to get while in prison.

Mosomi says that getting food was like a miracle as they only ate out of courtesy from other inmates.

They would only eat once a day, where they were served ugali and beans.

For the four to secure their freedom, Kibro Beach Management Unit (BMU) chairman Joel Maulidi and Muhuru Bay MCA Hevron Maira had to help raise release money.

“This is not an isolated case, we have several instances where fishermen from Muhuru were being attacked, arrested and even shot by authorities from Tanzania and Uganda,” he said.

Mairah said they succeeded in this mission to have the four fishermen released because they found the complainants.

He asked both Tanzania and Kenya governments to compensate the four as he says that they had been traumatized by the experience they went through while in the hands of the Tanzanian authorities.