"It has now emerged that some of these arrests are not only illegal, but were stage-managed by rogue Ugandan officers in collaboration with their Kenyan counterparts.
Multiple sources have described the arrests in the lake as a huge money-minting industry as cartels stage-manage arrests and demand kickbacks and fines.
Investigations by The Standard have established that the extortion ring is controlled by rogue police officers, money transfer agents, fisheries officials, traders and revenue officers, who mint millions from the underworld trade."
https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001346764/police-in-bed-with-cartels-extorting-poor-fishermen
#Assessment
Crime at the lake is problematic because it's a convergence of smuggling pipelines in Mombasa port and Inland Container Depot Nairobi.
When the Authority took up control of Kenya Railways assets at the lake in 1st August, 2017 a ruthless cabal took control of the entry points, providing the local Security apparatus access and protection of it's patronage systems at the Mombasa port, to cover-up Illicit activities at the lake, opening up partnerships with unscrupulous Ugandan traders from Eastern Uganda, who shifted smuggling route at the porous Mount Elgon region in Western Kenya.
Mount Elgon is an extinct shield volcano on the border of Uganda and Kenya, north of Kisumu and west of Kitale. Traffickers from the Western Kenya with ethnic ties to Eastern Uganda are collaborating with Government accomplices with Ethnic ties from the mountain' Elgon region to extort and harrass fishermen from the local Luo' Community.
It is imparative for Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) to clean-up it's internal operational structures that fuels the gangs activities at the lake, increased criminal activities associated with the Mount Elgon insurgency, a conflict that started in 2005 when the Sabaot Land Defence Force militia revolted in the Mount Elgon area, in Western Kenya - spreading it's networks in the lake, in collaboration with Uganda Security apparatus, will distabilize Revitilization of the Lake transport echosystem.
The highest point the cartel interaction with the luo Community has been Kisumu port, and Lake Victoria piers , Government Officers Managing the entry points who are patriotic either faced death threats, victimized and pushed out of the region, and the cartel entrenched it's networks.
Intelligence indicate that apart from being extorted monetarily, Uganda officials in collaboration with
Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) accomplices at the Kisumu pier forced the fishermen to use their boats and smuggling vessels, to ship in Illicit Maize, cigarettes, counterfeit spirits, fake phamacuiticals, wildlife trophies and heroin.
The trade was in plain sight, with little oversight of Kisumu port, the pier since emerged to be a significant smuggling drop point for contraband goods.
It's only after the deployment of Kenya Navy, and the Kenya Coast Guards Service (KCGS) that the network was disrupted. There's is a cabal of five junior, and middle level managers stationed at the facility who gate keep for this ruthless cross-border crime syndicate.
It has since emerged that the five KPA officials pay protection fees to HR and Operations staff in Nairobi ICD and Mombasa port. Shockingly, one such Officer linked to a recent contraband interdiction concealed in sacks of charcoal has since received a letter of promotion to a caretaker position, after bribing HR and Operations staff handsomely, with proceeds of crime.
This criminal network is also linked to a fuel siphoning, adulteration syndicate in Kisumu and the northern corridor, particularly in Eldoret, Nakuru and Mombasa port.
Usuping of BMC activities*
It is worth appreciating that KPA Security Department is the the chair and the lead implimentor of border security procedures (BSP), through the office of the head of security services.
Border Management Committee (BMC) jurisdiction in the coastal ports and the Inland waterways ports.
'Curiously' KPA decided to assign junior managers in BMC's, under administrative report structure that is structural or syntactic ambiguity, paralyzing BSP.
Creating internal contradictions, that open a window for operations personnel to be the lead Officers in BMC.
The shocking capture of BMC actitecture is not restricted to the Inland waterways ports, even the smaller coastal ports Operations staff have usurped BMC accitivies.
The consequence of this lack of oversight, and denial of structural support to BSP operatives is 'serious Intelligence failures', for example KCGS and KRA Border Security apparatus interdicted contraband (Cannabis sativa & illegal alcohol spirits) concealed in charcoal sacks, which is locked at the Customs shed pending Investigations.
Credible intelligence indicate this contraband is linked to criminal associates of KPA operations staff who have usurped BMC activities, leaking operational Intelligence to 'gangs' operating in Kenya, and Uganda with deadly consequences.
Members of the local Beach Managment Units (BMU) who are perceived to be sharing information on smuggling pipelines,and the growing use of concealing heroin inside fish stocks - and trafficked out through Kisumu port, and other piers are intimidated, even permanently 'silenced' by these ruthless gangs trading at the lake.
Evidence 1.
In a bizarre incident, a 26-year-old girl was murdered and her body dumped in a pit in Usenge town early this year in what appeared to be a warning as reports emerged that the victim’s employer – a fish supplier in the town – had sponsored a powerful candidate in the Beach Management Unit (BMU) elections and his rivals were unhappy with this.
KPA Officers partaking to bribes paid off by Kisumu syndicate have blood in their hands, and directly responsible for crime scattering to the Inland waterways ports.
KPA security Department has effectively lost control of the situation, two 'supervisors' of the contracted Security have since resigned fearing for their lives since KPA security and Operations staff at the Kisumu port have been leaking Operational Security to the 'gangs, who then intimidate the female guards not to report Illicit activities at the waterfront.
