MARITIME ACCIDENTS HAS CLAIMED LIVES OF THOUSANDS IN LAKE VOCTORIA OWING TO LACK OF SAFETY MEASURES AND INADEQUATE TRAINING.

By Leo Odera Omolo.

DEATHS by drowning in the shallow waters of Lake Victoria is on the upward trend due to lack of protective floating rubber fitted on water moving boats and traditional fishing canoes.

According to the latest statistics recently released by the Kisumu City based Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC), there has been drastic increase in the number of deaths on the lake.

Most of the accidents involve canoes, which are easily affected by adverse weather. Even boats fitted with outboard motorized engines are not always safe to travel with because most of such boats are not fitted with life jackets..

“Every day there must be a case either reported or unreported of a person who has drowned in the lake following a boat accident,” says the executive Secretary of the LVBC, Dr. Tom Okurut.

Other reports show that between 1990 and this year, more than 1,190 people died in the Lakes in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.

A police source in Nyanza was recently quoted by the Nairobi based daily, the STANDARD as saying that most deaths were as result of boats capsizing in bad weathers and due to navigation errors by coxswains.

Most boats capsize due to strong winds or stormy weather while majority are caused by the overheating. 109 people had died in 83 separate boat accidents between 2004 and this year, the paper quoted the PPO Mr. Anthony Kibuchi as saying during an exclusive interview in his Kisumu Office.

An independent survey carried out by this writer revealed that Suba led with the highest number of casualties with 57 deaths from 44 accidents.

The worst accident occurred two years ago near Migingo Island in Migori District not far away from the Kenya –Tanzania borders, which claimed five lives following a night storm.

The police have attributed the surging cases in Suba district to the high number of fishing boats.

Bondo District followed in second position with20 deaths from 17 boat accident.

In Homa Bay district 14 people have been killed in eight accidents while the neighbouring district witnessed eight deaths in five boat accidents.

A month ago a woman drowned in the lake after jumping into the water from a boat that collided with another near Origi in Mbita Division of Suba District. One of the boats was ferrying nine passengers and five tones of rice imported from Tanzania. This was not the first time such accident had occurred.

Kisumu District recorded nine accidents while Nyando had the lowest casualty, one death. The police boss, however, reported that security measures had been improved on the lake.

Mr. Herson Pumbuka, the programme manager with LVBC, who also doubles as the officer in-charge of maritime safety and security at LVBC attributes the frequent accidents to poor observance of maritime safety standards rules and regulations.

“Each vessel is licensed to operate at a limited capacity, but most boat owners and operators flagrantly ignored and do not abide by the laws.”

There is also the problem of acute shortage of qualified personnel is also to blame since most coxswain lack adequate training in technical and emerging skills to avoid accidents.

“in most cases the fishermen doze off without life jackets in a fishing expedition trip deep into the lake and do not take note of advancing ships and boats resulting in a collision,” says another source.

Then there is the problem of vandalism. Some of the equipment that aided navigation in the lake had been vandalized by fishermen and pirates who thought they contained precious gems.

There is, however, hope for fishermen and passengers operating on the lake. The East African Legislative assembly had already enacted the Lake Victoria Transport act last year.

The act, which now awaits for approval by the partner states of the East African community (EAC), provides for safety of passengers, cargo, competence of boat crew, prevention of Oil pollution and construction of navigation aids.

It will also help end the fight over territory which has seen many Kenyan fishermen seized by security personnel of the neighbouring countries of Tanzania and Uganda, tortured and persecuted for trespass by outlawing swoops on fishermen.

Mr. Pumbuka disclosed that the installation of navigation aids in the lake would be completed within a year making it easy for crew to call for help during emergency.

Lake Victoria water is shared by the three water states of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Tanzania is having the largest share of 54 %, Uganda 42 % with Kenya having the smallest portion only 6%.

The law which stipulates that the owners of passenger boats must fit their boats with life jackets for passengers’ safety has always been ignored by the unscrupulous and greedy traders.

Other major accidents reported in Lake Victoria include the May 1996 in which more than 800 people drowned and perished in the worst shipping disaster when a Tanzania ferry capsized between Bukoba and Mwanza Ports.

In 2006 alone 100 people died in separate accidents on Lake Victoria, which is shared by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

At least 30 Ugandan traders died and about 20 went missing after their boat capsized in Lake Victoria in 2007.

Ends

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com

– – – – – – – – – – –

CANE FARMERS IN AWEONDO HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE SONY SUGAR CURRENT MANAGEMENT TEAM FOR EXELENT PERFORMANCE.

By Leo Odera Omolo.

The Awendo based SONY SUGAR Company has made significant improvement in production trade, farmers and management relations.

In contract performance assessment carried by the government Sony Sugar Company which previously was laying below other public companies in the bottom has jumped several steps forward under the current management team, a meeting of cane farmers held at Awendo DO’s office on Monday this week was told.

It was attended by representatives of non-contracted and contracted cane farmers numbering about 500 who came from the five administrative Districts of Rongo, Migori, Kuria, Gucha Trans-Mara and Homa-Bay. All the five Districts fall under the Sony Sugar Company cane growing zone.

Sony Sugar Company has contracted close to 25,000 cane farmers in the region. It is moderately being estimated that there are almost the same equal number of non-contracted cane growers, who are scattered within the five districts..

The Monday meeting was held under the auspice of the Kenya National Sugarcane Growers Union, and was addressed by several farmers’ leaders within the zone. The principal speaker was the Union’s Secretary General Mr. Ezra Orodi Okoth. Also present were representatives of the National Bank of Kenya, Awendo branch and Sony Sugar Company management, civic leaders and other stakeholders.

The farmers unanimously passed a resolution supporting the current board of directors and the management team of Sony Sugar and appealed to those looking for jobs in the company to direct their attentions elsewhere. They appealed to the government to continue supporting the company and to ensure its current management remained in the place for the mutual benefit of the poor local cane growers.

The farmers strongly refuted what they termed as malicious publicity, which has persistently been[appearing in a section of the alternative Media house alleging that Sony Sugar was on the verge of total collapse and that the farmers have threatened to withhold cane delivery to the Awendo based factory unless its top current management team under the MD Paul Odhiambo is removed.

The farmers expressed confidence in the current board of directors under the chairmanship of a business magnate Mr. Herbert Ojwang. The farmers also expressed satisfaction with the current Sony Sugar MD Mr. Paul Odhiambo and his team .

It emerged that the author of such articles were working at the behest and cohort with some of the defeated former Luo MPs from the region who are allegedly hungrily looking for employment at the Sony Sugar Company. One such Ex-MP is said to be eyeing for the position of MD while the other wanted to be appointed the chairman of the Board of Directors. But they lacked managerial skills and the necessary experience. .Moreover, some of them are too old and tired as such cannot be considered for any kind of employment.

The farmer advised the jobs seeking ex-MPs to engage themselves in businesses and farming instead of antagonizing the Management of Sony Sugar Company. Local politicians, especially those who are on record of having vandalizing the company resources before were also told to steer clear of the company affairs.

Mr. Okoth reminded the farmers that during a recent meeting in Nairobi both the Prime Minister Raila Odinga and the Minister for Agriculture William Ruto had hipped a lot of praise on the current management of Sony sugar for having turned the Company’s previous poor record of making perennial losses to a vibrant profit making facility.

During the charged meeting, it was established that the malicious publicity was the work of some irresponsible journalists, who have turned themselves to “treasury hunters and extortionists” operating in Kisumu City a 100 miles away. But none of them has ever set his foot in Awendo to investigate any truth.. The scribes are allegedly being bankrolled by the defeated former Luo Mps who have turned-job seekers.

On farmers dues, the meeting heard speakers saying that the delay in paying farmers for their cane harvested and crushed, is caused mainly by poor internal marketing system and partly due to the allegedly imported sugar having floated the market and was selling cheaper than the cost of production of sugar in the country.

The farmers, however, said they were happy with stern measures recently put in place by the Minister for Agriculture HON. William Ruto in canceling licenses for exporters and importers of sugar. This, they said will help the millers in clearing the heavy stockpiles of unsold sugar currently stored in the millers in their warehouse.

Sony Sugar, however, has cleared nearly all the backlog of payment and is only two months behind the payment. It has cleared all the outstanding payments up to the end of April 2008 and currently paying the delivery made by farmers in May this year as opposed to the previous management under whose payment to the farmers was always lagging behind by up to six months and beyond.

The farmers said they were shocked and mesmerized by claims of sexual scandals. Such far-fetched and malicious claims and allegation could be the work of the dismissed workers on slanderous missions..

The company is now operating on a zero non-tolerance of corruption. Three top managers are currently serving indefinite suspension as part of the management concocted effort to rid the Company of corruption and inefficiency.

A source in Sony sugar confirmed that the company was actively investigating the deadly, but unconfirmed rumour that a popular store in Kisii town was recently involved in the scam of printing the companys packaging materials and gunny bags for the purpose of marketing imported counterfeit sugar instead of the one produced by the Sony sugar Company. The matter has already been reported to the authority and the KRA for action. Rumour-mongers within Awendo and its environs are said to have appointed n accusing finger at the firm,s marketing department.

A search for a farmer in Rongo by the name of Mr. Joseph Odhiambo who was quoted as having told the press about farmers predicament in Awendo cane growing zone has proved fruitless and the man remained a figment of the counter fiction or a phantom, said Mr. Okoth.

He advised the authors of such articles which are devoid of an iota of truth to leave the management of Sony sugar alone and direct their lust for free money elsewhere. The farmers warned . such authors of fictitious stories meant to scandalize the good name of the company risked being attacked and assaulted by angry farmers should they dare step in Awendo town.

Four should exercise extra caution when handling sensitive issues, affecting the hailing sugar Industry and give the ministry sufficient time to resuscitate the sub-sector.

End.

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com

– – –
Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2008 04:11:13 -0700 (PDT)
From: Leo Odera Omolo

MARITIME ACCIDENTS HAS CLAIMED LIVES OF THOUSANDS IN LAKE VOCTORIA OWING TO LACK OF SAFETY MEASURES AND INADEQUATE TRAINING.

By Leo Odera Omolo.

DEATHS by drowning in the shallow waters of Lake Victoria is on the upward trend due to lack of protective floating rubber fitted on water moving boats and traditional fishing canoes.

According to the latest statistics recently released by the Kisumu City based Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC), there has been drastic increase in the number of deaths on the lake.

Most of the accidents involve canoes, which are easily affected by adverse weather. Even boats fitted with outboard motorized engines are not always safe to travel with because most of such boats are not fitted with life jackets..

“Every day there must be a case either reported or unreported of a person who has drowned in the lake following a boat accident,” says the executive Secretary of the LVBC, Dr. Tom Okurut.

Other reports show that between 1990 and this year, more than 1,190 people died in the Lakes in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.

A police source in Nyanza was recently quoted by the Nairobi based daily, the STANDARD as saying that most deaths were as result of boats capsizing in bad weathers and due to navigation errors by coxswains.

Most boats capsize due to strong winds or stormy weather while majority are caused by the overheating. 109 people had died in 83 separate boat accidents between 2004 and this year, the paper quoted the PPO Mr. Anthony Kibuchi as saying during an exclusive interview in his Kisumu Office.

An independent survey carried out by this writer revealed that Suba led with the highest number of casualties with 57 deaths from 44 accidents.

The worst accident occurred two years ago near Migingo Island in Migori District not far away from the Kenya –Tanzania borders, which claimed five lives following a night storm.

The police have attributed the surging cases in Suba district to the high number of fishing boats.

Bondo District followed in second position with20 deaths from 17 boat accident.

In Homa Bay district 14 people have been killed in eight accidents while the neighbouring district witnessed eight deaths in five boat accidents.

A month ago a woman drowned in the lake after jumping into the water from a boat that collided with another near Origi in Mbita Division of Suba District. One of the boats was ferrying nine passengers and five tones of rice imported from Tanzania. This was not the first time such accident had occurred.

Kisumu District recorded nine accidents while Nyando had the lowest casualty, one death. The police boss, however, reported that security measures had been improved on the lake.

Mr. Herson Pumbuka, the programme manager with LVBC, who also doubles as the officer in-charge of maritime safety and security at LVBC attributes the frequent accidents to poor observance of maritime safety standards rules and regulations.

“Each vessel is licensed to operate at a limited capacity, but most boat owners and operators flagrantly ignored and do not abide by the laws.”

There is also the problem of acute shortage of qualified personnel is also to blame since most coxswain lack adequate training in technical and emerging skills to avoid accidents.

“in most cases the fishermen doze off without life jackets in a fishing expedition trip deep into the lake and do not take note of advancing ships and boats resulting in a collision,” says another source.

Then there is the problem of vandalism. Some of the equipment that aided navigation in the lake had been vandalized by fishermen and pirates who thought they contained precious gems.

There is, however, hope for fishermen and passengers operating on the lake. The East African Legislative assembly had already enacted the Lake Victoria Transport act last year.

The act, which now awaits for approval by the partner states of the East African community (EAC), provides for safety of passengers, cargo, competence of boat crew, prevention of Oil pollution and construction of navigation aids.

It will also help end the fight over territory which has seen many Kenyan fishermen seized by security personnel of the neighbouring countries of Tanzania and Uganda, tortured and persecuted for trespass by outlawing swoops on fishermen.

Mr. Pumbuka disclosed that the installation of navigation aids in the lake would be completed within a year making it easy for crew to call for help during emergency.

Lake Victoria water is shared by the three water states of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Tanzania is having the largest share of 54 %, Uganda 42 % with Kenya having the smallest portion only 6%.

The law which stipulates that the owners of passenger boats must fit their boats with life jackets for passengers’ safety has always been ignored by the unscrupulous and greedy traders.

Other major accidents reported in Lake Victoria include the May 1996 in which more than 800 people drowned and perished in the worst shipping disaster when a Tanzania ferry capsized between Bukoba and Mwanza Ports.

In 2006 alone 100 people died in separate accidents on Lake Victoria, which is shared by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

At least 30 Ugandan traders died and about 20 went missing after their boat capsized in Lake Victoria in 2007.

Ends

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com

– – – – – – – – – – –

CANE FARMERS IN AWEONDO HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE SONY SUGAR CURRENT MANAGEMENT TEAM FOR EXELENT PERFORMANCE.

By Leo Odera Omolo.

The Awendo based SONY SUGAR Company has made significant improvement in production trade, farmers and management relations.

In contract performance assessment carried by the government Sony Sugar Company which previously was laying below other public companies in the bottom has jumped several steps forward under the current management team, a meeting of cane farmers held at Awendo DO’s office on Monday this week was told.

It was attended by representatives of non-contracted and contracted cane farmers numbering about 500 who came from the five administrative Districts of Rongo, Migori, Kuria, Gucha Trans-Mara and Homa-Bay. All the five Districts fall under the Sony Sugar Company cane growing zone.

Sony Sugar Company has contracted close to 25,000 cane farmers in the region. It is moderately being estimated that there are almost the same equal number of non-contracted cane growers, who are scattered within the five districts..

The Monday meeting was held under the auspice of the Kenya National Sugarcane Growers Union, and was addressed by several farmers’ leaders within the zone. The principal speaker was the Union’s Secretary General Mr. Ezra Orodi Okoth. Also present were representatives of the National Bank of Kenya, Awendo branch and Sony Sugar Company management, civic leaders and other stakeholders.

The farmers unanimously passed a resolution supporting the current board of directors and the management team of Sony Sugar and appealed to those looking for jobs in the company to direct their attentions elsewhere. They appealed to the government to continue supporting the company and to ensure its current management remained in the place for the mutual benefit of the poor local cane growers.

The farmers strongly refuted what they termed as malicious publicity, which has persistently been[appearing in a section of the alternative Media house alleging that Sony Sugar was on the verge of total collapse and that the farmers have threatened to withhold cane delivery to the Awendo based factory unless its top current management team under the MD Paul Odhiambo is removed.

The farmers expressed confidence in the current board of directors under the chairmanship of a business magnate Mr. Herbert Ojwang. The farmers also expressed satisfaction with the current Sony Sugar MD Mr. Paul Odhiambo and his team .

It emerged that the author of such articles were working at the behest and cohort with some of the defeated former Luo MPs from the region who are allegedly hungrily looking for employment at the Sony Sugar Company. One such Ex-MP is said to be eyeing for the position of MD while the other wanted to be appointed the chairman of the Board of Directors. But they lacked managerial skills and the necessary experience. .Moreover, some of them are too old and tired as such cannot be considered for any kind of employment.

The farmer advised the jobs seeking ex-MPs to engage themselves in businesses and farming instead of antagonizing the Management of Sony Sugar Company. Local politicians, especially those who are on record of having vandalizing the company resources before were also told to steer clear of the company affairs.

Mr. Okoth reminded the farmers that during a recent meeting in Nairobi both the Prime Minister Raila Odinga and the Minister for Agriculture William Ruto had hipped a lot of praise on the current management of Sony sugar for having turned the Company’s previous poor record of making perennial losses to a vibrant profit making facility.

During the charged meeting, it was established that the malicious publicity was the work of some irresponsible journalists, who have turned themselves to “treasury hunters and extortionists” operating in Kisumu City a 100 miles away. But none of them has ever set his foot in Awendo to investigate any truth.. The scribes are allegedly being bankrolled by the defeated former Luo Mps who have turned-job seekers.

On farmers dues, the meeting heard speakers saying that the delay in paying farmers for their cane harvested and crushed, is caused mainly by poor internal marketing system and partly due to the allegedly imported sugar having floated the market and was selling cheaper than the cost of production of sugar in the country.

The farmers, however, said they were happy with stern measures recently put in place by the Minister for Agriculture HON. William Ruto in canceling licenses for exporters and importers of sugar. This, they said will help the millers in clearing the heavy stockpiles of unsold sugar currently stored in the millers in their warehouse.

Sony Sugar, however, has cleared nearly all the backlog of payment and is only two months behind the payment. It has cleared all the outstanding payments up to the end of April 2008 and currently paying the delivery made by farmers in May this year as opposed to the previous management under whose payment to the farmers was always lagging behind by up to six months and beyond.

The farmers said they were shocked and mesmerized by claims of sexual scandals. Such far-fetched and malicious claims and allegation could be the work of the dismissed workers on slanderous missions..

The company is now operating on a zero non-tolerance of corruption. Three top managers are currently serving indefinite suspension as part of the management concocted effort to rid the Company of corruption and inefficiency.

A source in Sony sugar confirmed that the company was actively investigating the deadly, but unconfirmed rumour that a popular store in Kisii town was recently involved in the scam of printing the companys packaging materials and gunny bags for the purpose of marketing imported counterfeit sugar instead of the one produced by the Sony sugar Company. The matter has already been reported to the authority and the KRA for action. Rumour-mongers within Awendo and its environs are said to have appointed n accusing finger at the firm,s marketing department.

A search for a farmer in Rongo by the name of Mr. Joseph Odhiambo who was quoted as having told the press about farmers predicament in Awendo cane growing zone has proved fruitless and the man remained a figment of the counter fiction or a phantom, said Mr. Okoth.

He advised the authors of such articles which are devoid of an iota of truth to leave the management of Sony sugar alone and direct their lust for free money elsewhere. The farmers warned . such authors of fictitious stories meant to scandalize the good name of the company risked being attacked and assaulted by angry farmers should they dare step in Awendo town.

Four should exercise extra caution when handling sensitive issues, affecting the hailing sugar Industry and give the ministry sufficient time to resuscitate the sub-sector.

End.

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com

– – –
Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2008 04:11:13 -0700 (PDT)
From: Leo Odera Omolo

MARITIME ACCIDENTS CLAIMED THOUSANDS; CANE FARMERS HAVE CONFIDENCE IN SONY SUGAR