The boat accident which occurred on Lake Victoria on Saturday in which tens of partiers perished was long overdue.
The disaster could have happened many more years ago because on various occasions the boat broke down in the middle of the lake prompting its operators to call in experts who would repair it as occupants enjoyed the music, sipped liquor while many never noticed that at some point they were stuck.
That is how terrific lives of people had been put to risk for years until Saturday evening when the boat capsized near Mutima beach as it sailed to K-palm beach in Mukono to blast away.
The Saturday event graced by filthy rich and married men was organized by Templar Bissase and his wife Sheila Bissase who both were laid to rest on Tuesday.
The couple was among the tens that never survived the accident.
Templar Boat has been famous in transporting mostly fun loving Ugandans, slay queens, socialites, rich married men to mention but a few.
Templar (RIP) and his wife hard a number of friends within Kampala who flocked the boat to have a beautiful feel of the lake, party hard and later return home alive.
However, most of these partiers have for long known that the boat was in very dangerous mechanical condition.
A number of lucky Ugandans have come out to share their experience while on that capsized boat particularly the many times it broke down inside Victoria no with no hope of rescue.
Confessions
“We were coming from Kalangala and after travelling for almost 2 hours on the lake the boat stopped. As usual the excitement was too much because of music and alcohol,” said Evans Martial, a Kampala businessman.
The boat stopped towards seven o’clock in the evening. “We were assured soon we would set off. However the operators never told us what the problem was.”
Martial says the excited partiers later sobered up realizing there was no help forthcoming.
The time was approaching 10pm. The drinks were over, food was over.
It became worse when a generator also ran out of fuel.
“Total darkness on water. All you could hear were waves at times pushing the boat,” that is when I saw death.
As people turned riotous they were reminded that they needed to balance the boat by sitting on either side.
“We had to calm down and hold our rosaries. The repairers came next day in the morning repaired the boat and we set off in the afternoon,” Martial narrates his ordeal.
“As soon as I saw the shore of Ggaba, I almost jumped out to walk. Everyone was very scared. But we reached safely. Since then never returned to any boat,” Martial confesses.
Two other Ugandans who however wished to remain unnamed recounted a horrible scenario when Templar’s boat almost capsized because of the overload.
“We were saved by a speed boat which demanded 100k each person. 35 people extra partiers were transferred to a speed boat and that is when the boat balanced,” said Henry (not real names) who works for a Kampala based television station.
City Fashionista Shaima Murungi on learning the sad news on Saturday night said she was sure some of her friends must have perished.
Indeed she learnt of the passing of four buddies.
Shaima’s experience is certainly scary but says she only realized how risky it was after the Saturday tragedy.
“That boat broke down while we were on like five times. I am talking about 5 years ago,” she said.
To this designer breaking down had become a norm for on Templar’s boat.
“Sometimes we couldn’t know the boat has stopped. They would repair and we move on with fun,” she added.
Until the boat’s mechanical condition intensified, she was warned that but never took it serious.
She stopped flocking the boat because, “I got tired of partying on his.”
Such confessions confirm that the boat had for a long been in a dangerous mechanical condition.
However, many Ugandans blame the operators of greed and undervaluing the lives of their clients.
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in his statement while mourning those who perished on Saturday strongly said he had received information the bad was in dangerous condition and therefore the operators will be charged with criminal negligence and manslaughter, “If they are not punished for the mistake by dying in the accident.”
