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{
    "id": 1105460,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1105460/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 142,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Suba South, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. John Mbadi",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 110,
        "legal_name": "John Mbadi Ng'ong'o",
        "slug": "john-mbadi"
    },
    "content": " Yes, Hon. Speaker. My heart also goes to the families of these people who tragically lost their lives yesterday. We continue to get reports of more lives lost. We really do not know, up to now, how many lives have been lost. But, as Hon. Millie has said, the numbers keep on changing. No one has the correct data and statistics of those who actually were taking a ride on the boat. What I want to ask is the Committee to consider... I hope the Chair will include this when the report comes back. You can look at the Hansard and add it onto the issues that Millie had raised. The areas where we have passenger boat transport are designated and known. These are areas where we can have a system, where we put people and Government officers to ensure that safety measures are adhered to. Rescuing someone drowning in the lake is very difficult because you do not know whether you will be the victim if you attempt to go and rescue. So, we need a system where we have patrol boats rescue the people who get involved in this kind of accidents and ensure that they have the necessary gear like the life jackets. The main problem in Lake Victoria is that passengers get into boats without life jackets, even those who have never taken a ride in the lake. But, Hon. Speaker, I will tell you that even fishermen drown in the lake. The lake has no friend. It can swallow you any time. There are certain areas you may not know are deep. So, I would want to get from the ministry, through the Committee, the steps that are being taken to ensure that some safety measures are put in these areas that are designated as the points where passengers are picked. Some safety measures must be put in those areas. It is very tragic that we lose people every time. Again, what Hon. Millie did not hear is that I talked about Nyakwara. There is an accident that is still fresh in the minds of our people in Lake Victoria. That is the Nyakwara accident. It killed all the people who were in the boat. So, it is something that should not be taken lightly. It is killing our people and our people have no choice. There are no Government ferries in Lake Victoria. So, our people have no choice. They have to take this dangerous mode of transport. Even me, the first time I took a long ride in a boat was in 1994. I had no choice. I had to go to where I was going and there was no any other means of transport. So, it is not a choice for our people. Thank you, Hon. Speaker."
}