A TOTAL of 158 Tanzanians from Pemba Island have been convicted by a Kenyan court for trespassing and illegal fishing in Mombasa, Kenya. Each was fined 20 Kenya shillings, according to reports from authorities.
The North Pemba Region Police Commander (RPC), Mr Hassan Nassir, said by phone from his office in Wete that upon learning that some Tanzanians were being held by Kenyan police, his office in collaboration with local leaders followed the matter up.
“We were informed by authorities in Mombasa of the arrest and that the accused were taken to court and fined. At least 39 paid the fine and others were in the process of paying the fine,” Mr Nassir said. He said 39 fishers were from Kojani, 76 from Kiuyu-Mbuyuni, and 43 from Micheweni.
They left North Pemba for Mombasa on a fishing mission. “They all had valid travel documents, but they had no fishing permit for fishing in foreign waters,” he said.The RPC said initial reports show that some of the arrested fishers used a fishing boat allegedly owned by the MP for Micheweni Constituency, and that he was helping the victims in Mombasa to settle the fine.
Efforts to get comments from the MP by phone proved futile as he was unreachable. “Some people from Pemba have settled and married in Mombasa but I would like to caution them about entering and fishing in Kenyan territory without permission,” the RPC said.
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