Marine police disrupt boat operations on L. Victoria

In the wake of the MV Templar maritime disaster on Lake Victoria last year that killed 32 people, a plethora of hearsay theories about its cause have been put forward by the lay public as well as the authorities that are considered to be maritime safety experts. Some of the voices from people in authority left a lot to be desired.

For instance, there were claims that the ill-fated boat had evaded their search efforts even though the boat is large enough to be visible even on the Google Earth online. This raises doubts about the truth about their utterances.

Nevertheless, the initiative by the Ministry of Works and Transport to carry out boat inspections for safety in areas of Entebbe and other places is a positive measure. However, some dubious marine police constables are thriving in the aftermath of the boat mishap to create unnecessary disruptions for private boat users on Lake Victoria in areas in and around Entebbe.

For instance, the marine constables claim that private boats are not allowed on the lake after 6pm despite the boats having been cleared by the Ministry of Works. They also claim that fishing boats are not affected by such measures.

Safety standards are not only a daytime affair considering that issues such as navigation lights and compasses are an absolute necessity. This leaves one wondering which maritime laws these marine police are invoking?
Boats used by tourists usually ferry people who pay a fortune to view the sunset at the Equator yet these constables keep disrupting the boat operations and revenue collection given that there is no sunset before 6pm along the Equator.
I appeal to the relevant authorities to look into these matters.
Daniel Bugembe-Lule,
Entebbe