The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), through the Uganda Climate-Smart Agriculture Transformation Project (UCSATP), has begun restocking Lake Chahafi in Kisoro District as part of a national effort to revive depleted small water bodies and improve community livelihoods.
On Monday, the ministry introduced 282,000 Nile tilapia fingerlings into the lake, marking the first phase of a 1.03 million-fish restocking plan targeting thirteen small lakes across the country.
According to Geoffrey Dheyongera, Principal Fisheries Officer at MAAIF, Lake Chahafi was selected following scientific studies that confirmed small lakes can sustainably support fish growth if properly managed.
He explained that the restocking programme is intended to restore fish stocks, improve catch quality and quantity, and expand income opportunities for fishing communities that have long depended on the lake.
To safeguard the investment, fishing activities on Lake Chahafi have been suspended for one year, allowing the newly introduced fish to grow and establish breeding populations.
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Kisoro District Fisheries Officer Denis Birungi called on residents of Chahafi Town Council to work closely with authorities to protect the lake, warning that illegal fishing and environmental degradation could undermine the project’s success.
Birungi noted that earlier restocking efforts were minimal and insufficient to restore the lake’s productivity, stressing that the current intervention represents a more deliberate and science-guided approach to fisheries recovery.
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Meanwhile, John Nizeyimana, the Assistant Resident District Commissioner for Kisoro, urged the community to remain vigilant and report any unusual fish deaths or interference with the cages to district authorities. He assured residents that government has provisions to compensate in case of losses and emphasized the need for transparency in monitoring the restocking process.
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Local residents welcomed the intervention, recalling that Lake Chahafi once supported abundant fish stocks but suffered severe depletion due to population pressure and overfishing. Community members said the decline contributed to loss of household income and nutritional challenges, particularly among children.
Residents expressed optimism that the restoration of the lake will help improve food security, household incomes, and access to education, once fishing resumes under regulated conditions.
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