Kalangala to suspend MV Amani

Oct 28, 2014

The district security committee in Kalangala has passed a resolution calling for an immediate suspension of MV Amani operations.


By Davis Buyondo & Maria Nakitende

The district security committee in Kalangala has passed a resolution calling for an immediate suspension of MV Amani operations.
 
The vessel from Earth Wise Ferries plies between Nakiwogo landing site in Entebbe and Lutoboka in Kalangala along Lake Victoria.
 
The resolution was passed on September 25, during a district security meeting chaired by Caleb Tukaikiriza, the resident district commissioner. Usually, a meeting of this nature is attended by officers from various security organ and other district leaders to discuss the safety of the people in the district.
 
Nevertheless, the proceedings of the resolution were stayed to enable the committee rectify some anomalies until September 22.
 
Tukaikiriza went on to write a letter to the Minister of Works and Transport, Eng. Abraham Byandaala, demanding to discontinue MV Amani.
 
He cited an underlying danger to passengers using it in its current state. In a copy of a letter dated October 22, obtained by New Vision, Tukaikiriza wants the management of Earth Wise Ferries to repair their vessel or overhaul it before it could carry on further operations.
 
MV Amani replaced MV Kalangala, a Government ship, which used to ply the same route before it broke down. It was taken for overhauling at Mwanza port in Tanzania in February.
 
The ship has been in operation for 10 months, but passengers have always raised concern about their safety while travelling on it. They fear the vessel will one day sink given that it is dilapidated.
 
It has often broken down in the middle of the lake sending the passengers into panic. This has prompted district leaders to address the concerns before the situation spirals out of control.
 
“The vessel is risky to the lives of our people. It has been breaking down in the middle of the lake. At times, it uses one engine,” the letter read.
 
Tukaikiriza also maintained that the ship be issued with a valid insurance and license and given safety tools such as firefighting gadgets.
 
He explained that the passengers have also been complaining about the constant flooding of the ship due to the holes at the bottom.
 
According to residents and district leaders, the absence of MV Kalangala has left the district grappling with transport crisis and yet MV Amani’s fares were doubled making it worse.
 
In September, district leaders assured residents the vessel had been repaired. Efforts to contact MV Amani’s operations manager for a comment remained futile.
 
But Michael Okwalinga, the captain of the ship, maintained the vessel was in a good and safe condition.

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