By Andrew Irumba
Owners and managers of beaches along Lake Victoria have tasked government and the marine police to remove the wreckage of the MV Templar, the ill-fated vessel in which over 32 people, who included its owner Templar Bisaso, died after it capsized in November 2018.
The wreckage, which capsized on its way to Mutima beach in Mukono district, was left at the shoreline after being pulled from the scene of the tragedy. The accident occurred about 200 meters off the shores of Mutima beach in Mpatta Sub County Mukono District. The revellers on the boat who included Buganda prince David Wasajja, singer Irene Namubiru, tycoon Freeman Kiyimba and others were travelling to K-Palm beach at the time of the accident.
However, beach owners and managers in the area say that the numbers of people that visit their recreational facilities have consistently dwindled, since the time of the accident. They say that even the few customers who find their way to the beaches are inconvenienced by the wreckage and often get traumatized by memories of the tragedy.
Apart from K-Palm Beach which remains completely abandoned, the other beaches next to Mutima are covered in shrubs, an indication that no partiers have gone there in a long time. These include, among others, Mutoola resort, Lake Side Adventure and Serenada Eco Resort Beach.
Julius Wamala, the Manager of Mutima Beach, where corpses of MV Templar tragedy were lined up, said that “Our business suffered a setback after the accident. The number of people travelling to the beach have declined drastically, compared to the time before the accident, when Mutima, was the place to go for many revelers, especially over weekends.”
Majority of the partiers now accessing Mutima and other beaches use Kampala-Jinja road through Mukono town, branching off at Katosi Road, through Kisoga town to Ntenjeru Town Council, before heading to Mpatta Sub County, since many of them fear to sail.
Wamala noted that the MV Templar wreckage always reminds people about the tragic accident and discourages them from not only sailing but also going to beach.
“We would wish it to be pulled away to a safe place where people would find it for a tour at their own wish,” Wamala added.
But Henry Ategeka, the Principal Marine Inspector at the Ministry of Works and Transport said that the wreckage can only be removed upon examination of the report about the MV-Templar accident. He said the report is awaiting a final signature from the minister before the wreckage can be moved to another place.
K-Palm Beach which can be accessed in a 30 minutes’ sail from Mutima remains abandoned since the incident. Juma Bugombe a fisherman at Bwendere Landing Site says currently the guards restrict people from accessing the beach premises.
