Africa-Press – Uganda. MV Kalangala, the vessel which plies the Nakiwogo-Lutoboka route, is expected to resume operations in a few days, officials have said.Mr Sadala Musoke, the chief executive officer of Nation Oil Distributor Ltd, the firm that manages the vessel, said their engineers are working round the clock to fix the engine.
MV Kalangala suspended its operations on March 6 to undergo an engine overhaul. “We expect the vessel to resume normal operations before the Easter Holiday. This time, it [MV Kalangala] wasn’t taken to Mwanza as many thought. So, since it was just about overhauling the engine only, we did everything from Nakiwogo here,” Mr Musoke said in an interview yesterday.
Development
He said they have also equipped the vessel operators with efficient skills to improve services.“We sent a team of 17 vessel operators to Gulf Technical and Safety Training Centre in Egypt to undergo safety training, we expect them to return with more personal survival techniques, fire prevention and firefighting skills,” he added.
Although there are other private vessels plying the same route such as MV Vanessa and MV Sencata, many islanders claim they cannot afford their fares.The private vessels charge between Shs20,000 and Shs35,000 per trip, which is twice the fare travellers in the lower class of MV Kalangala pay. Passengers in MV Kalangala in the VIP section pay Shs20,000, first class Shs15,000 and ordinary class pay Shs10,000.
Currently, travellers with vehicles and huge luggage have to use the ferry from Bukakkata Landing Site in Masaka to Bugoma Landing Site in Kalangala, a journey considered to be longer and expensive.“MV SENCATA charges Shs20,000 per trip to Kalangala while MV Vannesa charges Shs35,000, which doubles the fares MV Kalangala charges. We ask the government to always think of an option whenever MV Kalangala halts its operations,” Ms Sarah Nantumbwe, a traveller, said.
“Government should work out an arrangement with private vessel operators to reduce the fares so that we aren’t affected. Now it is raining and boarding a small boat to Kalangala isn’t safe at all,” Mr Paul Kalema, a regular traveller, said.Mr Robert Ssebalamu, the chairperson of Ssese Islands Tourism Development Association, an umbrella body of all tourism stakeholders in Kalangala, said it would be a big blow to them if the vessel remained grounded beyond the Easter holiday.
Business affected
Mr Ssebalamu said ever since MV Kalangala suspended its operations, the number of tourists visiting the islands has dropped by at least 50 per cent.“The available alternative vessels like MV Vanesa have unreliable sailing schedules which affects many travellers. We have already lost huge revenue and when people heard that it [MV Kalangala] will return in a few weeks, some have already booked with us to spend the Easter weekend on the islands. So, if the vessel operator doesn’t keep his word, it will affect us more,” he said.
He further said the absence of MV Kalangala does not only affect those in tourism and hospitality sectors, but also paralyses other businesses such as transport and other casual labourers, who survive on daily income from tourists .“We appeal to government to bring a second public ship to save the situation, we have advocated for it in the last 10 years in vain,” he said.MV Kalangala, which is the only active public vessel plying the Kalangala–Entebbe route, was built in 2005, in fulfilment of President Museveni’s 2001 campaign pledge to the islanders. In 2019, government announced that they were in the process of procuring a second modern vessel, which will operate alongside MV Kalangala. However, this promise has yet to be fulfilled .
