The executive director lake Victoria basin commission has Dr. Conecias Kanangire has expresses determination to enforce measures that would drastically reduce annual death toll on Lake Victoria.

Doctor Kanangire says the second fresh water lake in the world claims at least 5000 lives every year adding that they are working at scaling down the death tall by 80% by putting a reliable marine rescue service in place.

Addressing residents of the Kenya’s lake side city of Kisumu, Kanangire say fishermen constitute a large percentage of those who die annually in marine accidents on the lake.
Kanangire attributed the death to unreliable rescue services, abrupt weather changes, poor communication, over loading and dilapidated vessels.

In May 1996 a vessel the MV Bukoba sunk near Mwanza Tanzania with over 600 people on board in atrocious disaster on Lake Victoria.

Kanangiri said the under 20 million dollar maritime communication for safety on lake Victoria project, any Victoria basin commission in partnership with east African community partner state was in process
of scaling down  the death toll from 5000 to at least 100 per year.

He added that the African development bank funded project would involve the establishment of a maritime rescue coordination centre in Mwanza Tanzania adding that there will be another system rescue centres across the lake and mobile communications coverage would be extended up to 30 kilometers into the lake were 80% of the fishing take place.

Kanangire say the project will also improve security as well as facilitate affordable communication communities living in numerous remote and sparsely populated islands within the lake.
Ultimate Media