Boat ride on Lake Victoria not for the faint-hearted

A quick scan of the luggage picks out some 10 bags of cement, tens of bundles of maize flour, iron sheets, charcoal, solar panels, crates of soda and water bottles.

For a first-time boat user, the huge load aboard the vessel leaves one scared.

As if reading our minds, a crew member quips that there is no cause for panic.

“This boat is very big and can take up to six tonnes comfortably,” says 32-year-old Michael Ouma Odende, our turn boy on the trip, as he collects the Sh100 fare from each passenger. Six tonnes could mean six cars on board.

It takes the crew about 15 minutes to attend to a mechanical fault before we are ready to start our trip across the clear blue waters of the world’s second largest fresh water lake.

Every day, beaches on various islands in the lake teem with activity, as hundreds of people flock them for various businesses.

At 7am, 10am, 1 pm and 2pm, boats dock to ferry the travellers to their various destinations.

Safety not guaranteed

Safety on the wooden boats that come in various sizes is not guaranteed. With frequent accidents, every journey across the water is a gamble. The bigger water buses are also not spared when it comes to lake accidents.

But the travellers have little option.

Lake Victoria is among the roughest equatorial lakes because of erratic weather and storms, often resulting in accidents.

There have been numerous accidents in Lake Victoria this year and tens of lives have been lost.

The latest accident happened in October, claiming six lives — three Kenyans and three Ugandans who were on their way from Sigulu Island in Uganda to Sinyenye beach on the Kenyan side.

A journey across the lake reveals gaps in safety measures and non-compliance which put vessel users at risk.

From lack of safety gear, untrained coxswains and overloaded vessels, safety issues abound.

Estimated weight

As passengers disembark at their destinations, crew load the vessels with foodstuffs, building materials, bicycles and even livestock.

The crew only estimate the weight coming onto the boats.

The Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) attributes the accidents in the lake to lack of compliance to safety regulations.

The agency feels compliance to regulations could have spared East Africans past tragedies such as the September 20, 2018 accident in which more than 228 lives were lost when the MV Nyerere (Tanzania) capsized.

On this particular boat that we board, no one has a life jacket on. Among the 41 passengers on board are the elderly and children.

It is only after they discover we are journalists that the crew fishes out worn out life jackets that cannot even be zipped up and distribute them to the passengers. Luckily, we have our own life jackets which we carried from Kisumu.

About 10 people who get the life jackets wear them while others choose to use them as shields against the blazing sun.

No Covid-19 protocols

With Covid-19 raging in the country, health protocols such as sanitising and social distancing are alien concept this side of the country.

As the boat takes off, the frequent travellers engage in rather uncomfortable tales of voyages that did not end very well.

“I wonder why there is no wind today on this lake. This calm situation has denied us and these first-timers the thrill that is Lake Victoria. I wish it could even drizzle to stir the waves to lift the boat and make this trip exciting,” quips one of them.

Seated in front of us, a cleric wearing a white gown and two shiny crucifixes, appears to be a first-time traveller and is obviously not enjoying the ride. The conversation is obviously adding to his discomfort.

As the conversation goes on, the man of the cloth cannot bear it any longer and says, “Shut up and stop thinking about accidents. Whatever you are hoping for will not happen in Jesus’ name. Not today, God. Not today.”

At the mercy of God

A frequent boat user, Mr Pius Oduor, says every journey across the lake is at the mercy of God.

“Safety of the boats is purely not in our own hands. I usually just say a silent prayer and commit my journey to God every day, because, trust me, we are usually more than 100 people on board squeezed to the extent that those on the edges can easily touch the water,” he reveals.

The 27-year-old runs a barber shop in Mageta, although he lives on the other side of town, in Nyamonye. It costs him a further Sh50, from Usenge town by road to his home. In his opinion, a bigger passenger ferry would be a better option in ensuring safety.

The journey to Mageta Island has three stops, where some passengers get off as more get on board. We make our first stop at Kabarua beach at 2.55pm where some travellers, including the cleric, alight, wishing us well.

The next stop should be Wakawaka Beach, but we bypass it as there is no one getting off there, and we proceed to dock at Mahanga beach at 3.30pm.

Not trained

According to Mr Odende, the Kenya Coast Guard has been insisting on training and certification, but most of the boats crew learn through apprenticeship.

 “The truth is most of us are not trained as coxswains and cabin crew,” he discloses.

“We know it is important, but the only available marine school is in Kisumu and Mombasa. If only one (training school) could be brought nearer here, it will improve service delivery,” says Mr Odende.

Many of them also feel the six-month course is costly.

“You have to raise Sh65,000 for tuition fees, rent for all the period you are in Kisumu … that is why many of us have kept off training,” reveals Mr Odende.

At Mahanga beach, we take another boat christened Saa Rach, Dholuo for ‘Time’s up’ back to Usenge. It leaves at around 3.40pm. It makes a stop at Kabarua beach to pick more passengers and a motorbike carrying a huge load.

Although slow, it is a smooth ride to Usenge beach, where we dock at 4.50pm, just in time to board another boat — Nyasani.

Rescue mission

It is the crew of Nyasani that came to the rescue of passengers who were travelling on a water bus when it capsized in May.

They vividly recall the Saturday May 2, evening accident. They saved all 17 people who were on the 35-capacity MV Ringiti. The 17 included five crew members.

The heroes of the rescue mission were the coxswain Jacob Owaki, 42, a member of his crew, Mr Martin Siso, who helps in the navigation of the vessel, Mageta Island Chief Ambrose Ogema and a passenger — Mr Joel Ouma Panyako.

MV Ringiti is managed by Globology Ltd and has been operating since 2010. The company operates three other vessels.

When the water bus overturned, all on board were thrown into the water but with the combined efforts of the four, all were rescued.

Trained coxswain

Mr Owaki is among few coxswains who have undergone marine training.

“According to my training at Kisumu Maritime Centre, I knew how to rescue people in such instances and this really helped me on how to ensure even those who were rescued were less traumatised,” he says, recalling the rescue mission.

He attributes the success of the rescue to the fact that the passengers had life jackets and the rescuers were well equipped.

LVBC Executive Secretary Ally Said Matano stresses the need for compliance and effective coordination for safety and security on Lake Victoria.

“Compliance to regulations takes cognisance of the fact that Lake Victoria is among the roughest equatorial lakes because of erratic weather and storms,” he said, as he recalled an accident in November 2018 in which a cruise boat carrying 100 people capsized on the Ugandan side killing 29 people.

In 2007, LVBC coordinated the East African Community partner states and others to enact the Lake Victoria Transport Act and in 2010, regulations aimed at ensuring safety and security of navigation on Lake Victoria.

According to Dr Matano, the commission, in partnership with East African states, has installed at least 86 communication aids for navigation on Lake Victoria to help minimise marine accidents.

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