Da Dona
JF-Expert Member
- Dec 16, 2025
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Boat operators running unregistered vessels and passengers who fail to wear life jackets could face fines of up to Shs4 million or imprisonment of up to four years under proposed water transport safety regulations expected to take effect by January 2027.
The Ministry of Works and Transport is developing the regulations to strengthen boat registration, licensing, safety inspections, passenger limits, landing site management and operator training.
Speaking during the launch of Balance the Boat, a documentary highlighting maritime safety, acting principal marine licensing officer Barnabas Twinomujuni said;
•operating an unregistered boat could attract a fine of 200 currency points, equivalent to Shs4 million.
•Passengers who fail to wear life jackets could also face penalties, with the ministry considering a lower fine of 100 currency points, equivalent to Shs2 million.
The draft regulations are undergoing stakeholder consultations before being submitted to the Solicitor General for legal clearance. They will operationalise the Inland Water Transport Act, 2021, introduced following deadly water transport accidents, including the November 2018 MV Templar tragedy on Lake Victoria.
Research presented at the documentary launch revealed that community-level data collected across five districts recorded 3,367 drowning incidents, including more than 1,000 deaths, over three years. Police records captured only 187 cases during the same period.
The findings also showed that only 3 per cent of those involved in the recorded incidents were wearing life jackets, highlighting major gaps in water transport safety.
Survivors of boat accidents called for stricter enforcement, regular vessel inspections, more rescue boats and mandatory life jacket use for all passengers.
With the proposed regulations expected by January 2027, will tougher penalties be enough to improve safety on Uganda’s waters, or should authorities prioritise enforcement and rescue services?
