G4S Uganda has embarked on a new venture to provide security for a fish farm located on the shores of Lake Victoria.
The site, situated in Buikwe, is owned by Yalelo, a significant aquaculture company in Sub-Saharan Africa. Each year, the farm yields 8,400 tonnes of tilapia fish, with plans to expand this output to 30,000 tonnes in the near future.
Comprehensive Security Approach
The security provider, G4S, is tasked with safeguarding the entire production lifecycle, which includes both terrestrial and aquatic assets. This extensive coverage encompasses fish hatchery systems, storage facilities, and logistical support structures, alongside pond management areas, animal conservation zones, and water access points.
Fred Mugenyi, G4S Uganda's Chief Operating Officer, notes, “The dual nature of the contract requires operational flexibility and demands a higher level of training, discipline and situational awareness.” He emphasizes the need for their security officers to adapt to shoreline conditions and coordinate with open water patrols.
Protecting Aquaculture Investments
Beyond traditional security measures, G4S’s role involves safeguarding biological production cycles
Beyond traditional security measures, G4S’s role involves safeguarding biological production cycles, protecting critical infrastructure, and ensuring adherence to environmental compliance standards. The initial phase of production takes place on land, where fingerlings are bred and nurtured within hatcheries. These sensitive environments are under strict surveillance to prevent any form of contamination.
Once the fish mature, they are relocated to cages placed in designated lake zones for further cultivation. Fred highlights the complexities, noting, “The farm is surrounded by marine life and submerged areas, making aquatic security both essential and technically demanding.”
These cages are vigilantly monitored to thwart theft, unauthorized access by boats, and maintain environmental checks. Post-harvest, the fish are transferred to processing facilities, where G4S ensures the protection of the finished products and oversees loading and dispatch procedures.
Marine Security and Training
Operating a workforce of about 150 personnel daily, G4S manages structured access control to regulate crowd flow efficiently. To mitigate risks linked to aquatic operations, security personnel undergo rigorous training, including swimming proficiency, water safety, marine patrols, and wildlife handling protocols. Nighttime security involves boat patrols to strengthen surveillance efforts.
Mugenyi comments, “This synchronized land-water security model demonstrates G4S’s ability to manage multi-dimensional, high-risk environments. It’s a partnership grounded in trust and operational excellence.”
Complex terrain, water proximity and wildlife are just some of the considerations that G4S Uganda had to account for when it recently took on a contract to secure a fish farm on the shores of Lake Victoria.
The site in Buikwe is owned by Yalelo, one of the largest aquaculture companies in Sub-Saharan Africa, and produces 8,400 tonnes of tilapia fish annually. Plans are underway to scale this up to 30,000 tonnes.
Logistical support structures
G4S secures the entire production life cycle, covering assets both on land and in water. This includes fish hatchery systems, storage facilities, shops and logistical support structures, pond management areas, animal conservation zones and water access points.
“The dual nature of the contract requires operational flexibility and demands a higher level of training, discipline and situational awareness,” says Fred Mugenyi, chief operating officer at G4S Uganda. “Our security officers must adapt to shoreline conditions, open water patrol coordination and more.”
Safeguard biological production cycles
“Critically, we are supporting a high value aquaculture investment. Our role is not just to prevent unauthorized access but to safeguard biological production cycles, protect specialized infrastructure and maintain environmental compliance standards.”
The production cycle begins on land where fingerlings are bred and raised in hatches under controlled conditions. G4S monitors the hatchery facilities, cage preparation areas, feed storage and equipment zones, among other areas. Given the biological sensitivity of this environment, strict monitoring is required to prevent contamination.
Structured access control
Once matured, the fish are transferred into cages for further growth which are later positioned into the lake in designated zones for larger scale cultivation. “The farm is surrounded by marine life and submerged areas, making aquatic security both essential and technically demanding,” adds Fred.
These cages require continuous monitoring to ensure protection against theft, unauthorized boat access and, again, environmental observation. Once harvesting from the cages is complete, the fish are transported to the processing facility where they are cleaned and prepared for distribution. Here, G4S is responsible for protection of the finished products, and monitoring load and dispatch procedures to prevent theft or tampering. With approximately 150 operational staff working within the farm daily, G4S also manages structured access control and crowd flow.
Marine patrol orientation
To address the risks of water-based operations, every security officer undergoes a swimming proficiency test, water safety training, marine patrol orientation and wildlife handling procedures. At night, when the risk is heightened, security officers will patrol the site via a boat.
Fred says: “This synchronized land-water security model demonstrates G4S’s ability to manage multi-dimensional, high-risk environments. It’s a partnership grounded in trust and operational excellence.”
