Government Declares Friday, a National Mourning Day; After the November 24th boat accident that happened on Lake Victoria claiming 33 lives, government has declared a national mourning day for the people that perished in the accident on Friday 30th /11/2018. To enable Relatives, Friends and Families to gather and pray.
Following Monica Azuba minister of works and transport submission today at parliament where she disclosed that the boat was in poor mechanical condition.
Monica Azuba minister of works and transport said that the boat owner plus some revellers on the boat threatened the police man who was stopping them from using the boat.
“The police man was suspicious of the vessel sea worthiness but the vessel owner plus some revellers threatened to throw him into the water”. Minister Azuba
According to Azuba the captain had earlier refused to sail the boat because of its poor mechanical condition. “Because he had disagreed with the owner of the boat, about its condition which led the owner to navigate the boat”.
Azuba on behalf of government, briefing parliament yesterday on its investigation into the leading cause of the Lake Victoria boat accident on 24th of November 2018 that claimed 33 lives.
Besides, Azuba noted that the government is reviewing the 1939 inland water transport act to match the current state of water events. However, she says if at all the previous law was observed people would not have lost their lives.
“Preparing new inland water transport legislation, which have a legal frame work to implement on all our water bodies”.
According to legislators government is to blame for this accident due to its weak registration, inspection and licensing of boats on Uganda’s Lakes.
They said, as government plans for other areas the islands are left out. However, they asked government to train people to save lives, especially the divers who helped in the search of perished victims “who can go down in five minutes and come back” government should look for those people to help train others.
Meanwhile, the parliamentary committee on fisheries, agriculture and animal husbandly has been instructed to carry out an investigation on the cause of this boat accident.
