According to a fisherman who sought anonymity for fear of reprisal from the cartels, the leaders have pledged allegiance to the rules of the network through familiarisation with kingpins, and new entrants are not welcome.
"Whereas we are demanded to pay at least Sh40,000 whenever our boats have been arrested by Ugandan authorities, we have established that some beach leaders are beneficiaries of such deals," said the source.
He said some beach leaders own boats and often collude with Ugandans and sometimes pirates to arrest or steal from their business rivals.
"This is how some leaders abuse their powers to drive their competitors out of business," he said.
In some instances, the beach leaders conduct unauthorised patrols in the lake, where they allegedly harass and extort fishermen.
While it is a requirement that the BMUs should give financial reports after every three months, Oyamo says most of the beaches have not been complying with this.
"Some beaches collect a lot of money from registration of boats, fishermen and landing fees, but there is never any accountability," he says, adding that most of the beaches are collapsing due to poor management of funds.
He says major landing sites generate more than Sh500,000 in a year but still lack facilities such as toilets.
Bondo Member of Parliament (MP) Gideon Ochanda attributed the unending insecurity on the lake to collusion between some unscrupulous fishermen, beach officials and pirates.
"In as much as it is sad that we are losing millions of shillings in paying fines to Ugandans for allegedly trespassing or using illegal fishing gears, there are some beach officials who are beneficiaries," said Ochanda.
The MP's claims are backed by local fisheries officials, who say that some beach leaders engage in illegal fishing activities.