Lake Victoria

Stakeholders have urged the government of Ugandan to expedite the establishment of the country’s maritime safety administration unit, in accordance with the Lake Victoria Transport Act 2010, so as to check marine accidents.

They said the country should vet potential candidates to man the maritime safety administration unit to ensure that they have the required qualifications, training and experience. Uganda should also mobilise resources to undertake a study on the state of the inland water bodies, they added.

The stakeholders were participating at a just-ended meeting in Kampala, Uganda, under the East African Community Lake Victoria Basin. They said:

“The government of Uganda and the EAC should mobilise resources to undertake a feasibility study on maritime communications, safety of navigation on Lake Albert, Lake Edward and other inland water bodies.”

They also called for a pre-investment study on ways of enhancing safety of navigation by strengthening meteorological services on Lake Albert, Lake Edward and other inland water bodies in Uganda.

“All EAC inland waterways should have the same regulations,” they said in resolutions availed to (EANA).

The participants said affordable equipment should be brought close within the EAC countries’ beach management units with large populations and activities in a bid to increase access to life-saving equipment.

The Ugandan government, the participants urged, should set a deliberate strategy to enable lake users to get safety and communication equipment by involving all stakeholders in the fishing industry.

Saying rules and regulations should be set to protect marine environments in inland water bodies, the participants added: “Requirements [should] be put in place to demand that no one builds a boat without a permit from the maritime safety administration in Uganda.”

Well equipped police and army marines should also patrol the inland water bodies to fight piracy, the participants suggested and appealed to the Ugandan government to gazette landing sites, and keep record of all marine vessels.

By East african News agency

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