Life jackets are for ‘lugezigezi’ people — boat, ferry operators speak out, say Museveni’s directive won’t work

Following the tragic accident on Lake Victoria that saw a boat sink and claimed lives of now 32 people, Gov­ern­ment has threat­ened to crack down on sailors with­out life jack­ets, the President Yoweri Museveni has directed.

All water vessels will now be registered and electronically monitored for where and why they are on the water.

However, boat and ferry operators have shot down Museveni’s plan in which he demanded that every passenger on water should have a life jacket, saying the President is being misled by the middle-class Ugandans who are normally “wiseacres.”

“Life jackets are for you educated people who have ‘lugezigezi’. You think the world rotates around you. If you want a life jacket, move away from the boat and create space for those that don’t need it,” motioned one of the operators on the Nakiwogo vessel that plies L. Victoria in Entebbe areas. 

The operator further told Matooke Republic journalists who were on an undercover operation that no law prevents Ugandans from using water means of transport without life jackets.

And indeed, most of the women, men and children who boarded the vessel did not have an protective gear and seemed rather unbothered by the news of another vessel sinking. 

It is es­ti­mated that a to­tal of 5,000 deaths caused by drown­ing in Uganda are re­ported every year.

Musa Mulondo, a passenger who regularly travels from Ggaba landing site to islands in L. Victoria, says the authorities are not strict about enforcing the life jackets regulations. He noted that life jackets are expensive and since they are not mandatory, he does not bother to wear one. 

Among the hundreds of boat passengers without life jackets is Tonny Membe who travels between Kakunyu Island and Ggaba, often with his son. Membe said he understands the need for life jackets but cannot afford to buy any and as thus, he leaves his fate up to God. 

Besides the Saturday boat accident in which over 30 people died, other water accidents that have claimed Ugandan lives have reawakened the life jacket question.

The chairperson of Ggaba Beach Management Unit, Stephen Ssekitooleko, says his unit has done their part to sensitize fishermen, boat operators and passengers about the need for life jackets.

Ssekitoleko added that that the ball is in the marine police’s court to intervene and arrest all defaulters.