Written by Frankline Bwire 2012-06-27 20:23:00 Read 451 Times

A Kenyan fish trader was shot by unknown thugs in the Democratic Republic of Congo, some few kilometers from the Congo-Uganda border leaving his colleague with serious injuries.

It is reported that the victims were among a group of fish traders that had gone to Ishasha town in Congo to sell their fish.

“Our colleagues came late from the market headed for Uganda by a motorbike in a bid to join us but on their way a group of armed thugs ordered them to stop, a move they defied,” said Sarah Auma one of the victims.

She added that the victim sitting at the back of the motorbike died on the spot while his female partner was shot in the stomach with the bullets affecting her intestines.

“It is not quite clear if the armed thugs escaped with their money got from the sale of the fish during the incident, though we had actually distributed three Lorries of fish from Lake Turkana to the market in the area,” said Auma.

Speaking to West FM, she narrated that the incident was not the only one, as they encountered another attack at Kampala where armed thugs blocked the road and robbed off two buses escaping with belongings of passengers on board. 

“We were quite lucky that police officers responded quickly when called, scattering the thugs by shooting in the air before they could enter the third bus we were in,”

Chairman Busia Jua Cali fish traders association Francis Ouma said there was need for the East African Integration to be effected in a proper manner to curb the challenges affecting traders.

He expressed concern that the government was doing little to address issues affecting fish traders from Kenya as they undertake their businesses in the neighboring countries despite complains launched to the government.

“We are shocked that our traders are harassed when they go through our neighboring countries to sell their fish. It is time the government should intervene on the issue to assure traders their safety as they undertake their tasks,” said Ouma.

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