Category: Africa

“At 1:30pm he called me and said, “You know what? Can you believe?, we’re still here. We haven’t left yet.”

I saw it from a distance, but it took another 30 minutes to arrive.”

Journalist Moses Dola jailed 10 years over wife’s killing

“We walked towards those small boats that were taking people to the big boat, but something in was telling me, “No, don’t go”.

I turned, [went] and sat where I found another friend called Arnold Simbwa with other people.

There was another person called Stella Ntanda who was telling me, “Iryn, no way. You are not leaving us here…?”

So I stayed. For the third time, I walked towards my car. My friends asked, “Are you really going?”

I said, “Yes.”They said, “Ok come and say goodbye to Freeman.”

At the shore, they said, “Let’s go!”

Then Freeman tried to explain to me, “You know, we were scheduled to leave at around midday, but then the boat got issues. Now it’s here. We can go. You know the boat had a few hiccups.”

I was like, “Oh my God, a few hiccups?”

Anyway, we took one of those small boats that [took] us to the big boat.

‘I will miss you terribly’ Juliana Kanyamozi mourns her designer Salvator

BOOMING MUSIC

On the big boat, music was booming and it was full or even over booked. I had no seat. I had no life jacket.

The boat that had dropped us was going back with life jackets, so I called it back and said, “We need to get lifejackets.” So they got us three blue lifejackets. I wore my jacket and fastened it.

Many had no jackets, and many (who had them) did not even fasten them. When Hope wore his, he left it open claiming he was feeling hot. That’s when I said, “Don’t joke. Do you think when the boat is capsizing it gives you time to fasten your jacket?”

People were in a happy mood and many already drunk or tipsy. I got a seat in the middle of the boat where I could observe everything. From the word go, the DJs kept telling us to balance the boat.

There was someone next to me, Freeman and others. I wasn’t dancing, but I was always sliding down. I realised the boat was always leaning on the side where I was and the DJ kept on telling us “Balance the boat, please balance the boat.”

WATER INTO THE BOAT

Hope Mukasa had noticed that there was water flowing into the boat and he showed it to me. At the time, it would come in then and flow out.

Actually, the boat was under repair as we were sailing. Lights were coming on and off. I didn’t realize that it was the engine failing, that we are in the middle of the lake and not moving.

I got a little scared when a wave hit the boat and a speaker flew off into the water.

There were other boats passing by whose occupants realized that we had a problem and they warned that we were about to capsize.

They asked for those who wanted to leave with them. Some 15 people left but others were too drunk to care.

It was known that this boat was always faulty and was down for over a month before we used it, had no license and the skippers were unqualified. They even jumped off the boat and left us to die.

Photos of Uganda’s top designer who died in the Lake Victoria boat accident

THE TRAGEDY

But when it was getting too dark, I got worried. I always have my phone on me, so I switched on the torch. I told Hope, “You realize we are going?” I just held my bag and got ready.

No sooner had I finished the phrase than the boat capsized.

I fear water so much. I do not swim. I only learnt it because it was compulsory it Namasagali College where I studied and was rescued from drowning twice.

This time I did not panic. I held my breath for about 40 seconds or a minute and I was peddling under water. I have never dived, but I did what I saw my children do when they dive. I peddled and my head got out of the water.

Maybe I was floating, I don’t know.

Around me in the dark, people were screaming, wailing and others repenting.

I held my phone (which had its torch on) up so that we could be found.

There was this lady who kept grabbing me on my side and pulling on my jacket. I would just pull my jacket back on. I kept going forward.

BIG WAVES

And then the big waves started coming. I thought I was going to die because they were somehow taking off my jacket. I felt my legs getting tired.

Eventually, a boat came. I screamed, “Help! Help!” while waving my phone.

They say it’s thanks to the torchlight and I was rescued.

The lady who was grabbing on my jacket died before getting onto the rescue boat.

I later realised she owned the capsized boat together with her husband. She had been right beside me.

The guy came straight to me and told me, “Relax, relax. Don’t shout. Come closer.”

I went closer. He asked me for my phone which I gave him. I did not carry my bag as it was too heavy. He took it and put it in the boat and he pulled me in.

My legs froze and I felt like I weighed a tonne. I gathered energy and pulled myself to the back of the boat, this time feeling like my lower part was numb.

Then he started saving other people. But so many people started holding onto the boat, and it seemed about to capsize.

That’s when I let out the mother of all screams. The boat man said I was destabilizing him and I was told to shut up.

‘I am getting more confident now on my new life after losing my sight ‘Rosemary Odinga opens up after she went blind

SURVIVED

We quickly reached the shore. We were 10. But only nine of us survived.

As we got off the boat, I asked the pilot, “Can you give me my phone please?”

People screamed at me: “Do you want the phone or you want your life? Just get out of the boat!”

I later on learned that he had gone back twice to save people.

When the last person was pulled out, the rescuer said, “She looks dead already, or she’s dying…”

The other revellers on this Island were wailing. Others were in shock while many were helping in the rescue.

Before I moved to check on other bodies, I broke down and wailed.

I said, “Oh God, I’ve been saved. I can’t believe I’m alive.”

Source:Daily Nation