Unra to mark ferry crossing routes on lakes

Mr Rauben Tumwebaze, the director for Road Infrastructure Protection. COURTESY PHOTO

What you need to know:

  • UNRA is also set to start maritime training school at Busitema University because all their Ferry crews have been trained in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

KAMPALA. In a bid to curb water transport disasters, the Uganda National Roads Authority (Unra) has announced plans to mark ferry routes on all inland water bodies.
The revelation was made on Friday by Mr Rauben Tumwebaze, the director for Road Infrastructure Protection, while addressing a press conference on the status of ferry services at the Unra offices in Kampala.

“The Unra Ferry Management Regulations of 2017 provides for the designation of ferry routes on the lakes. These marks are treated as ferry roads to avoid marine accidents that may be caused by encountering fishing gears and boats. We are going to mark all the routes for ferry buoyance in the next two years,” Mr Tumwebaze said.

He said much as Unra-managed ferries have not been involved in any fatal marine accidents, the vessels have had costly damages whenever they come in contact with fishing gears laid along the routes on the waters.
The pronouncement comes at a time when the country is recovering from a fatal marine accident involving MV Templar where more than 30 people perished when the boat reportedly carrying more than 100 people capsised on Lake Victoria two weeks ago.

Unra currently operates 10 ferries on lakes and the River Nile to connect to either sides of national roads under their care and maintenances.
These ferries are Laropi- Umi ferry connecting Moyo and Adjumani Districts, Kiyindi Ferry for Buikwe-Vuvuma route, Masindi Port Ferry for Kiryandongo-Apac route, Nakiwogo Ferry for Entebbe-Kyanvubu route, Wanseko-Panyimur Ferry for Buliisa to Nebi and Obongi Ferry from Moyo to Adjumani.
Others are MV Kyoga 1 and MV Kyoga 2, both on Amolatar-Nakasongola, Mbulamuti Ferry for Kamuli- Buyende route, and Lake Bisina Ferry for Katakwi-Kumi route.

The head of Ferry Services in Unra, Mr Herbert Mutyaba, while talking about the safety on the waters, said their ferries are designed to carry specific weight of vehicles, other luggage and passengers to avoid capsising. He said all the ferries have at least 15 per cent extra life jackets to the required number according to their passenger capacities.
Mr Tumwebaze said five new ferries will have hit the water surface by 2021 to improve connectivity of business, agriculture, tourism and education purposes in other parts of the country.

These include the second Kiyindi-Buvuma Ferry which will be ready by 2020, Sigulu Ferry to link Namayingo District mainland, Sigulu and Lulwe Islands set for June 2019, Amuru-Rhino Camp Ferry by June 2019, Bukungu-Kagwara-Kaberemaido Ferry by 2020, and Lake Bunyonyi Ferry by 2021.

“For Lake Bunyonyi, the feasibility study will be undertaken in Financial Year 2019/2021. We have had a lot of accidents on that lake which you journalists have reported about and it is important because there are many islands there,” he said.
UNRA is also set to start maritime training school at Busitema University because all their Ferry crews have been trained in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.