Concerns over increasing cases of vessel accidents in inland water bodies

NAKURU, Kenya, Dec, 3 – Boat operators and fishermen across the country are set to undergo a training on safety following the increasing cases of accidents particularly in inland water bodies.

In the past 14 days alone, 8 people have lost their lives after the boat they were travelling in capsized in Lake Victoria.

The Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA) has expressed concerns saying that lack of a framework and established safety and rescue systems is to blame for the rising number of cases.

“Unlike the Indian ocean where there are established structures to deal with vessel accidents, the inland bodies do not have this. We are currently training stakeholders around Lake Naivasha and Victoria on rescue and safety measures so that we can tame disaster cases in their regions,” KMA Assistant Director Peter Munga said.

Meanwhile, the maritime authority identified pollution by major ship lines as the major challenge currently facing Indian Ocean.

The Kenyan Coastline is heavily used by huge ships heading to Europe and South Africa, as a result the ocean is now being polluted more than ever by the fuels propelling the ships.

“This is a piecemeal pollution where big ships entering the Port of Mombasa or passing along the international coastline end up spilling part of their oil, affecting the marine ecosystem,” he said.

A looming disaster can however be avoided according to the maritime authority as they intensify strict implementation of the law alongside the National environment Management authority (NEMA).

“In the past we had a problem with pollution from inland but through the support of NEMA we have been able to resolve this,” he said.

During the training workshop in Naivasha, the Naivasha Boat Owners Association chairman David Kilo blamed the numerous abandoned nets in the lake as the major challenge currently facing inland water bodies.