Government presents water transport Bill

PARLIAMENT|WATER TRANSPORT BILL

After agitation from stakeholders on the need for interventions to minimise accidents on water bodies, the Government has finally presented the Inland Water Transport Bill, which will regulate water transport.

It was presented to Parliament on Tuesday by the works and transport minister, Gen. Katumba Wamala. He said the Bill is aimed at harmonising and modernising the legislations concerning inland water transport.

The preamble to the Bill indicates that the inland transport sub-sector is characterised by disjointed and old laws and standards most of which were enacted during colonial times.

The object of the Bill is to provide for regulation of inland water transport by providing for registration and licensing of vessels, the safety of life and navigation on inland waterways.

The Bill is also aimed at putting in place a legal framework for the protection of Uganda's water bodies from pollution, protection of marine environment, strengthening marine security and regulation of ports.

The Bill also seeks to domesticate the International Maritime Organisation Conventions Uganda assented to which require state parties to comply with international standards for safety of lives, vessels, and water bodies.

Assigning liability

Clause 119 puts the liability, in cases of operating unseaworthy vessel, on the owner of the vessel.

It states in clause 157 that a person who sends or takes or is party to sending or taking a vessel registered or licensed under this Act, upon the inland waterways in an unseaworthy condition that may endanger the life of any person on board a vessel commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding eight currency points (sh160,000) or imprisonment for a period not exceeding four months or both.

The Bill also proposes that where an owner, master or member of the crew of a vessel, registered or licensed under this Act, willfully breaches a duty or by neglect of a duty or by reason of drunkenness, does any act which tends to cause the immediate loss, destruction or serious damage of a vessel or tends to immediately endanger the life or limb of a person belonging to or on board a vessel, commits an offence and is liable upon conviction to a fi ne of sh960,000 or to a term of imprisonment not exceeding two years or both.

The Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, referred the Bill to the Parliament infrastructure committee for scrutiny and consultation of the various stakeholders.

In November 2018, MV Templar which was carrying over 128 passengers capsized and left many dead. It later turned out that the vessel had no licence.