Lake Victoria Archives - Jean-Jacques Cornish

Tanzanian president orders arrests after ferry sinks

Jean-Jacques Cornish — Fri, 21 Sep 2018 22:00:00 +0000

Tanzania’s President John MMagafuli’s ordered the arrest of the operators of the ferry that sank in Lake Victoria leaving at least 141 dead and scores still missing.

He says the MY Nyerere was overcrowded and there negligence involved it is capsizing.

It’s unclear exactly how many people rescuers have saved from the water of Lake Victoria.

Figures range from 40 to more than 100.

Must depends on how many passengers were on the ferry.

It was initially said there were more than 400.

Now officials are saying it was half of that but still twice the capacity of the ferry.

Many of the families have gone to the shore of Africa’s largest lake to witness the rescue operation.

President John Magauli has declared four days of national mourning following the disaster,

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Death toll in Tanzania ferry sinking could exceed 200

Jean-Jacques Cornish — Thu, 20 Sep 2018 22:00:00 +0000

At least 44 people have died when an overcrowded ferry collapsed and sank near the shore of Lake Victoria in Tanzania.

Officials fear the death toll could rise above 200.

The Motor Vessel Nyerere was a carrying more than 400 passengers when it capsized and sank between Ukora and Bugolora islands on Africa’s largest lake.

It was close to shore and passengers had rushed to one side of the vessel to disembark.

Many were carry heavy goods having visited a weekly market.

100 people were rescued – 32 of them in critical condition.

Poor visibility halted rescue operations in the dark.

Overcrowding has caused a number of boating tragedies in Tanzania. A boat with a capacity of 620, but carrying more than 1 000 sank off Zanzibar in 2011, killing more than 200 people

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Kenyans prepare for Obama visit

Jean-Jacques Cornish — Sun, 12 Jul 2015 22:00:00 +0000

Excited Kenyans are sprucing up the capital in preparation for US President Barak Obama’s visit at the end of this month.
There are many who are concerned about what the man, who’s father was born on the fringes of Lake Victoria, will say when he gets there.
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It’s being likened to President John F Kennedy returning to Ireland 52 years ago.
Barak Obama’s going to Kenya for a global entrepreneurial summit.
He’ll want to leave a lasting impression on a country drawing European and American investors to the most developed middle class in Africa.
But there’s baggage.
He’ll be met by President Uhuru Kenyatta, who’s candidacy Washington opposed when he was wanted by the International Criminal Court in 2013.
Ecumenical clergy and conservative politicians are warning that they’ll not tolerate Obama criticising homophobic legislation that’s put Kenya in line with the majority of African nations.

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Barak Obama to visit Kenya

Jean-Jacques Cornish — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 22:00:00 +0000

US President Barack Obama will visit Kenya mid-year. It’s the first time he’s going to the home of his father as US leader.

The Washington announcement says he’ll will attend a summit to encourage entrepreneurship and meet the country’s controversial leader Uhuru Kenyatta.

Barak Obama’s been to sub-Saharan Africa four times in his two terms as US President.

Political scandal has stopped him visiting Kenya where late father was born in a small village near the shores of Lake Victoria.

Obama was born in Hawaii of his father’s union with a white woman.

His parents divorced.

For much of Obama’s time at the US helm, Kenya’s president Uhuru Kenyatta was under investigation by the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

The charges of crimes against humanity for his alleged role in 2007-08 post-election violence were dropped last December.

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