Uganda flags off commercial vessel into lake Victoria--Eyes Water Transport to save the roads.

 Prime minister Robinah Nabbanja has asked the business community to start priotising the use of water transport in a bid to save roads from being depleted. She was speaking at the  commissioning of MV PAMBA and flagging it off for its first commercial travel to mwanza.

MV Pamba, a Ugandan Government -owned vessel, sunk with huge amounts of cargo after a collision with a sister vessel MV Kabalega, on Lake Victoria in 2005. The MV Kabalega has never been recovered.

the vessel that was grounded for the last fifteen years due to lack of funds has been under going repairs by Chinese company mango group.

Under the memorandum of understanding, Mango Tree Group Ltd is to repair this vessel to international Maritime Organization (IOM) seaworthiness requirements, meet the insurance costs using their own money later operate it for a given period to recoup the investment before transferring it back to the government.

Water transport is the most affordable and cheapest means of transport world wide. Currently through water transport,Uganda exports about five thousand metric tonnes of goods monthly.

Uganda railways intends to reduce on the turn around time of cargo transportation from Mombasa from 5 days to two days. MV pamba was built in 1986 and grounded in 2005.

The vessel will move between ports of Portbel,Jinja, mwanza kisumu and will transport120 tones of cargo monthly .

Works and transportation minister Gen Katumba wamala says use of the rail line is effective in carrying heavy cargo. He says UPDF has  Been deployed along the railway line to deal with vandalism.