Accident-Dar Roads!

Dar es Salaam residents look bemused at a vehicle belonging to Ministry of Livestock Development and Fisheries that had plunged into a ditch.

Source: Daily News

Motor Traffic Accidents in Tanzania:Possible Solutions!

I read this on Dr. Faustines Baraza, I thinks it is worth reading if we are concerned with the rate of accidents in the country. please read on.
In January 2009, I wrote about possible solutions to the problem of motor traffic accidents in Tanzania. The following were my suggestions:
Introduce a bill with a provision of hefty fine or extended jail term for people committing traffic offenses whether minor of major.
I would revoke all licenses and I would give 6-12 months to all drivers to re-apply. One condition for acquiring a driving license would a pass certificate from a reputable driving school, preferably VETA or National Institute for Transport (NIT).
I would also introduce a bill that will make the motor vehicles owners involved in traffic accidents, pay hefty compensations to accidents victims and to families of those who lost their lives.
Subject to having a proper national ID, Motor vehicle owners and drivers involved in motor traffic accidents would receive a lengthy ban or lifetime ban from operating public transport business and driving on roads respectively.
I would institute measures that will bring discipline in the Police Force. Police commanders will be held responsible for accidents that occur in their turf.However, I have received this comment from a reader of this blog who had a different perspective to what I wrote. Here are his/her thoughts:.............. "what you mentioned is just a small portion of what is needed. Remember, in order to have a SAFE and EFFICIENT roadway, we need the 4-Es, namely ENGINEERING, EDUCATION, ENFORCEMENT, and EMERGENCY. We will not reduce accidents (crashes) significantly unless we implement all the 4-Es. Unfortunately, Tanzania lacks all of them!!"

Taken from: Faustine's Baraza

More Bodies Found From Air France Crush!

RECIFE, Brazil (CNN) -- Sixteen bodies have been recovered from last week's crash of an Air France jetliner in the Atlantic Ocean, Brazil's military announced Monday.
The Brazilian navy and air force said they have found nine bodies in the wide search area around where the Airbus A330-200 went down. The crew of a French vessel taking part in the search has found seven bodies, military officials told reporters Sunday evening.
Air France Flight 447 disappeared over the Atlantic early June 1. The jet was en route to Paris, France, from the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro with 228 passengers and crew aboard.
The bodies were found floating about 1,100 kilometers (700 miles) from the Brazilian coast. Items found in the same area Saturday were confirmed to have come from the jet, including pieces of the aircraft's wing section, luggage and a leather briefcase containing an airplane ticket with a reservation code for the doomed flight, Brazilian Spokesman told CNN

The exact location of the crash has not been determined, since ocean currents probably caused the bodies and debris to drift in the days since the crash. And two key pieces of evidence -- the flight data and cockpit voice recorders -- remain missing, and could lie on the ocean floor.
The part of the ocean where the debris and bodies have been found ranges between 6,000 and 8,000 meters (about 19,700 to 26,250 feet) deep. The search area covers 124,300 square kilometers (77,220 square miles), an area nearly as big as the country of Romania.
Twelve Brazilian and two French aircraft were participating, along with five Brazilian ships and one French frigate. And in Washington, a U.S. defense official told CNN that the U.S. Navy will contribute two high-tech acoustic devices to listen for emergency beacons still operating in deep water.
The "towed pinger locators," which help search for emergency beacons on downed aircraft to a maximum depth of 20,000 feet, will be placed aboard two French tugs that are part of the search efforts, the official said.
Recovery of bodies and debris is significant not only for families, but also for crash investigators, said Mary Schiavo, a former inspector general for the U.S. Department of Transportation.
"Even if they don't find anything else, they can get some very important clues from the pieces that they do find and from the human remains," she told CNN on Saturday.
She said investigators would be able to tell if there was an explosion from possible residue on the bodies or other items. Or, if water is found in the lungs of victims, investigators would know the plane went down intact, she said.
Investigators in Paris said Saturday that the

Air France flight sent out 24 automated error messages about four minutes before it crashed. The messages suggest the plane may have been flying too fast or too slow through severe thunderstorms it encountered before the crash, officials said.
Schiavo said four minutes "was a very long time" for automated signals to be sent from the plane.
Investigators also reported that the airline had failed to replace a part as recommended by the manufacturer, Airbus.
Airbus had advised airlines to update equipment that monitors speed, known as Pitot tubes. The recommendation was a result of technological developments and improvements, an Airbus spokesman told CNN. The change was not mandatory, and the spokesman would not comment on Air France's failure to follow the advice. Source:CNN.com/world

CNN's Karl Penhaul, Richard Quest and Barbara Starr contributed to this report.

More Bodies Found From Missing Air France Plane!

RECIFE, Brazil (CNN) -- Three more bodies were found Sunday from the Air France plane that went missing off the coast of Brazil nearly a week ago, Brazilian officials said.
The discovery brings to five the number of bodies found from the flight AF447, which was carrying 228 passengers and crew when it vanished on Monday.
On Saturday, a Brazilian navy frigate transported the bodies of two men -- south of Brazil's Fernando de Noronha archpelago.
Brazilian air force and navy officials said it was not possible to identify the sex of the latest three bodies. Asked their condition, the officials declined to describe them, citing good taste and the victims' families.
All the bodies and items are confirmed as being from Air France 447, which vanished over the Atlantic early Monday en route to Paris, France, from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The items recovered include parts of the plane's wing section and at least two seats from the plane and many more items of luggage, officials said.

Bodies of 2 Air France Passangers Found!

A search vessel steams past a marker and debris in the Atlantic Ocean Saturday

RECIFE, Brazil (CNN) -- A Brazilian navy frigate navigated deep waters of the Atlantic on Saturday, carrying the bodies of two men confirmed as passengers of an Air France plane that crashed nearly a week earlier.
The bodies, discovered along with several items from the plane earlier in the day, were being transported by the Constituicao Frigate roughly 675 kilometers (420 miles) southward to Fernando de Noronha, an archipelago of volcanic islands in the Atlantic Ocean, said Col. Henry Munhoz, spokesman for the Brazilian air force.
From there, they will be flown another 355 kilometers (220 miles) to the northern Brazilian city of Recife, Munhoz said. The bodies will be examined by Brazilian forensics experts for identification.
Air France 447 vanished over the Atlantic early Monday en route from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Paris, France, with 228 passengers and crew aboard.
The discoveries on Saturday provided new-found hope to anxious relatives awaiting news.
"When I heard about this accident, they told us there were no bodies, no pieces of the plane," Nelson Faria Marinho, the father of a missing passenger, told Globo News television in Rio de Janeiro.
"Now, it's all surfacing," he said. "We have pieces of the airplane. We have bodies. This renews my hope. As a father, I can't think of the worst. I couldn't."

Also found Saturday were a backpack and a leather briefcase containing an airplane ticket with a reservation code, which Air France verified belonged to a passenger on the jet, another air force spokesman, Jorge Amaral, told CNN.
The Brazilian navy and air force officials said the backpack contained a laptop, and an oxygen mask also was discovered.
The serial number on a blue seat is still being cross checked to determine whether it belonged to the Air France plane.
The items were spotted in the Atlantic by a search plane about 4 a.m. (3 a.m. ET). The search area was widened to cover 200,000 square kilometers (77,220 square miles) -- an area roughly the size of Nebraska.

It is not clear where the plane crashed, since ocean currents likely caused the bodies and debris to drift in the six days since the crash.
Mary Schiavo, a former inspector general for the Department of Transportation, said Saturday's findings were "hugely significant" not just for the families desperate to recover their loved ones but also for crash investigators.
"Even if they don't find anything else they can get some very important clues from the pieces that they do find and from the human remains," Schiavo said.
She said investigators would be able to discern if there was an explosion from possible residue on the bodies or other items. Or, if water is found in the lungs of victims, investigators would know the plane went down in tact, she said.
"So this is just a treasure trove of information -- very, very important for the investigation," she said.
Investigators in Paris said Saturday that the Air France flight sent out 24 automated error messages lasting about four minutes before it crashed.
The error messages suggest the plane may have been flying too fast or too slow through severe thunderstorms it encountered before the crash, officials said.
They also reported that the airline had failed to replace a part, as recommended by the manufacturer, Airbus.
Airbus had advised airlines to update equipment that monitors speed, known as Pitot tubes. The recommendation was a result of technological developments and improvements, an Airbus spokesman told CNN's Richard Quest. The change was not mandatory, and the spokesman would not comment on Air France's failure to follow the advice.
Planes have crashed because of faulty or blocked Pitot tubes in the past, Quest said, and there was clearly something wrong with the doomed plane's speed-monitoring equipment.

But it may be a mistake to place too much emphasis on the Pitot tubes, he added, since the jet apparently was experiencing massive system failures.
Even as they analyzed the error messages and satellite images of the doomed flight's path, investigators said they still have a lot of work ahead to determine what caused the plane to go down.

"I would just like to ask you to bear in mind that all of this is dynamic and there are a lot of question marks," Paul-Louis Arslanian, head of France's accident investigation bureau, told reporters.
"We don't know how the aircraft entered the water. We don't know how these pieces of debris entered into the water," he said. "You have to take into account the current ... and the shape of the ocean floor."
Schiavo, the former inspector general, said the four minutes of automated signals sent from the plane "was a very long time."
"And of course, this is very vital information when you don't have the black boxes," Schiavo said.
The four minutes could be the amount of time the plane took to tumble down from an altitude of 35,000 feet, she said.
"So that 4 minutes may have actually been the four minutes the plane was falling and it will give clues -- especially with today's finding -- of where to find the bulk of the wreckage and those all-important black boxes," she said.

Source:www.CNN.com/world
CNN's Karl Penhaul and Helena DeMoura contributed to this report.

Probe: Airline Did Not Replace Instruments On 447

PARIS – Air France had not acted on a recommendation to change airspeed-detecting instruments on Flight 447 before the plane crashed in turbulent weather, the French agency investigating the disaster said Saturday.
The French accident investigation agency, BEA, found the doomed plane received inconsistent airspeed readings by different instruments as it struggled in a massive thunderstorm on its flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris with 228 people aboard.
No debris from the aircraft has been found and without the aircraft's black box recorders, aviation investigators have little information to help them determine what caused the crash.
Airbus had recommended to all its airline customers that they replace speed-measuring instruments known as Pitot tubes on the A330, the model that crashed, said Paul-Louis Arslanian, the head of the agency.
"They hadn't yet been replaced" on the plane that crashed, said Alain Bouillard, head of the French investigation. Air France declined immediate comment.
Arslanian cautioned that it is too early to draw conclusions about the role of Pitot tubes in the crash, saying Airbus had made the recommendation for "a number of reasons."
Investigators are relying on 24 messages the plane sent automatically during the last minutes of the flight to try to locate the wreckage.
The signals show the plane's autopilot was not on, officials said, but it was not clear if the autopilot had been switched off by the pilots or had stopped working because it received conflicting airspeed readings.
In Brazil, visibility and weather conditions improved Saturday in the area searchers are focusing on but debris earlier spotted on the ocean's surface may have sunk by now.
"Debris doesn't indefinitely float, and when it sinks we will not have the means of finding them," Air Force Brig. Gen. Ramon Cardoso told reporters late Friday.
Earlier, Cardoso insisted that the debris spotted — an airplane seat, a slick of kerosene and other pieces — was from the plane. But he confirmed that Brazilian searchers had yet to recovered any of the material.
He said searchers did not pursue the reports of debris — the first sighting was reported on Tuesday — because priority was given to the hunt for survivors or the remains of victims.
Meanwhile, a German government-owned satellite spotted debris in the Atlantic on Wednesday, a German Aerospace Center spokesman said, but he added it was unclear whether the material came from the plane.
BEA chief Arslanian said the crash of Flight 447 does not mean similar plane models are unsafe, he said, adding that he told family members not to worry about flying.
"My sister and her son are going to take an A330 next week," he told a news conference at the agency's headquarters, near Paris.
He says planes can be flown safely "with damaged systems."
The flight disappeared nearly four hours after takeoff, killing all on board. It was Air France's deadliest plane crash and the world's worst commercial air accident since 2001.
The investigation is increasingly focused on whether external instruments may have iced over, confusing speed sensors and leading computers to set the plane's speed too fast or slow — a potentially deadly mistake in severe turbulence.
An Air France memo to its pilots Friday about the crash said the airline is replacing the Pitot tubes on all its medium- and long-haul Airbus jets.
Pitot tubes protrude from the wing or fuselage of a plane and help measure the speed and angle of the flight, along with less vital information like outside air temperature.
They feed airspeed sensors and are heated to prevent icing.
A blocked or malfunctioning Pitot tube could cause an airspeed sensor to work incorrectly and cause the computer controlling the plane to accelerate or decelerate in a potentially dangerous fashion.
On Thursday, European plane maker Airbus sent an advisory to all operators of the A330 reminding them of how to handle the plane in conditions similar to those experienced by Flight 447.
Peter Goelz, a former managing director of the National Transportation Safety Board, said that advisory and the Air France memo about replacing flight-speed instruments "certainly raises questions about whether the Pitot tubes, which are critical to the pilot's understanding of what's going on, were operating effectively."
But questions about speed sensors are only one of many factors investigators are considering. Automatic transmissions from the plane showed a chain of computer system failures that indicate the plane broke apart in midair.
President Barack Obama said at a news conference with French President Nicolas Sarkozy Saturday that the United States had authorized all of the U.S. government's resources to help investigate the crash.
Arslanian said investigators are searching a zone of several hundred square miles (square kilometers) for the debris.
An intensive international effort so far has failed to recover any confirmed wreckage, and concern has grown about whether searchers were even looking in the right place.
It is vital to locate a beacon called a "pinger" that should be attached to the cockpit voice and data recorders, now presumed to be deep in the Atlantic, Arslanian said.
"We have no guarantee that the pinger is attached to the recorders," he said.
Holding up a pinger in the palm of his hand, he said: "This is what we are looking for in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean."
Investigators are trying to determine the location of the debris in the ocean based on the height and speed of the plane at the time the last message was received. Currents could also have scattered debris far along the ocean floor, he said.
"You see the complexity of the problem," he said.
Laurent Kerleguer, an engineer specialized in the ocean floor working with the investigation team, said the zone seen as the most likely site of the debris was 15,112 feet (4,606 meters) at its deepest point and 2,835 feet (864 meters) at its shallowest.
France is sending a submarine to the area to try to detect signals from the black boxes, said military spokesman Christophe Prazuck. The Emeraude will arrive next week, he said.
___ AP Writers Patrick McGroarty in Berlin and Bradley Brooks in Rio de Janeiro contributed to this report.

Suicide Cliff Jump!

A grieving couple who jumped to their deaths off cliffs at Beachy Head with the body of their dead son were dedicated parents who lived for their boy, friends say.The victims have been named as Neil Puttick, 34, his Japanese wife Kazumi, 44, and son Samuel, aged five, of Westbury, Wiltshire(Pictured).Mr and Mrs Puttick jumped off the cliffs with two rucksacks, one containing Samuel's body and the other carrying toys.All three bodies were found about 400ft down the notorious suicide spot, near Eastbourne, East Sussex, on Sunday evening.The child died on Friday evening after being discharged from hospital, where he had been treated for meningitis.His parents had asked for him to be allowed to come home to die after doctors told them he would not recover from the illness.Samuel was confined to a wheelchair following a car crash when he was 18-months-old and his parents looked after him with the help of nurses and carers. He was taken ill with meningitis a week ago.

As seen on http://matukiouk.blogspot.com/

2-year Old Boy Dies from Crush-Related Injury!

AUSTIN, MN (KTTC-TV) We have some very sad news to report following this weekend's accident that claimed four lives, it has now claimed a fifth.
The Minnesota State Patrol is reporting that one of the two surviving victims, 2-year-old Carter Newell, has died.
Family spokesperson Zach Morton says, "He was a sweet little boy."
2-year-old Carter Newell joins his mother as among the five people killed in a collision in Olmsted County that happened late Saturday, near Stewartville.
"Kyle asked where's Carter? Kyle is my 2-year-old and we had to tell him he went to heaven to see Jesus," says Morton.
The crash happened when a minivan was broadsided by a truck driven by 25-year-old Christopher Frisch of Winona. State Patrol says Frisch had a blood alcohol level of point-one-nine. He was unhurt in the crash.
For nearly a week, little Carter fought for his life at St. Marys Hospital in Rochester.
"The doctors told us this was going to happen, nothing can change the fact that it's horrible that he's gone, but it's a little bit of a relief to know he's not in pain anymore," says Morton.
Morton says even though it's been the ultimate nightmare scenario they're getting through.
"It was funny because everybody made mention that the nurse had smoothed his hair down and so one after another families came into the room, and she says you know everyone of you has said the same thing--that's not Carter you've got to take his hair spike it up and put it all over the place," says Morton.
A memorial has been set-up at the crash site..at the intersection of highway 30 and highway 63.
Four wooden crosses stand, along with a decorated post to represent where the car crash occurred.
"Completely just being overwhelmed and trying to just get through, feeling like you've cried so many tears there's no more to cry," says Morton.
The horrible incidents of that night have left a family in pieces.

Source: www.kttc.com

What European Media are Saying About Air France Accident!

Assuming that the Air France flight is lost at sea, here is what some media are saying about the accident, with translations provided by Google:
Paris Match: Lightning likely cause of the loss of Air France
"...A spokesman for Air France evokes the possibility of lightning: the plane has indeed gone through a thunderstorm with strong turbulence." (Un porte-parole d'Air France évoque l'hypothèse de la foudre : l'avion a en effet traversé une zone orageuse avec de fortes turbulence.)
Le Monde:
"It is not known at this time the causes of this disappearance. The possibility of a detour is 'clearly ruled out,' said Minister for Transport, Jean-Louis Borloo. According to François Brousse, communications director of Air France, the device has probably 'been struck.' But some experts doubt that lightning is the sole cause of the disappearance of the Rio-Paris flight, as Pierre Sparaco Specialist Civil Aviation [says]: 'Normally, lightning can not have serious consequences for an airplane.'
("L'hypothèse d'un détournement 'est clairement écartée', a déclaré le ministre en charge des transports, Jean-Louis Borloo . Selon François Brousse , directeur de la communication d'Air France, l'appareil a vraisemblablement 'été foudroyé.' Mais certains experts doutent que la foudre soit l'unique cause de la disparition du vol Rio-Paris, comme Pierre Sparaco , spécialiste de l'aéronautique civile. 'Normalement, la foudre ne peut pas avoir de conséquences graves pour un avion'.)
Le Parisien:
"Sarkozy does not exclude any hypothesis"
The Times of London:
"Air traffic controllers had their last contact with the aircraft about four hours into the flight, when the pilot said that he had hit severe turbulence. Exactly 15 minutes later, seven hours before it was due in Paris, the aircraft's systems sent automatic error messages reporting multiple electrical faults and, according to a statement from the Brazilian air force, lost cabin pressure.
"The combination of the two implied that the Airbus A330-200 - a plane with an excellent safety record - might have simply broken up in the storm. Officials held out little hope of there being any survivors.
"'The most likely thing is that the plane was hit by lightning. The plane was in a stormy area with strong turbulence, which provoked problems,' said François Brouse, Air France's director of communications.
"'We are probably facing an air catastrophe,' added Pierre-Henri Gourgeon, the airline's chief executive. 'It's certainly no longer in the air now. It would have run out of fuel.''

Source: Airline BIZ Blog

Basi Lateketea Kwa Moto!

Basi la abiri alililokuwa likitokea jijini Mwanza kuelekea Dar es salaam, limeungua moto na kuteketea.

Kaimu Kamanda wa Polisi Mkoa wa Mwanza, Elias Kalinga aliwaambia waandishi wa habari kuwa, basi hilo lilipata ajali hiyo jana saa 1:00 asubuhi kwenye eneo la Hunghumalwa lililo kwenye barabara ya Mwanza-Shinyanga wilayani Kwimba.

Alisema siku ya tukio basi la abiria aina ya Scania likiwa na abiria 15 liliwaka moto na kuteketea.

Alisema gari hilo lilipata ajali wakati likiwa limesima kwa ajili ya kupakia abiria huko eneo la Hunghumalwa na ndipo moto ulipozuka kutoka kwenye injini na kuunguza gari.

Kalinga alisema kuwa abiria waliokuwa kwenye gari walifanikiwa kutoka wakiwa salama huku mizigo waliyokuwa nayo ikiteketea kwa moto.Kamanda wa Polisi alisema chanzo cha moto huo bado hakijajulikana (Habari zaidi soma Mwananchi. www.mwananchi.co.tz).

Kazi ya Kuokoa Meli Yawa Ngumu!

Kazi ya kuokoa boti ya Mv Fatih, iliyozama katika bandari ya Zanzibar Ijumaa iliyopita, bado ngumu, baada ya jitihada za kutwa nzima ya jana kutofanikisha kuivuta hadi nchi kavu.

Awali, kazi ya uokoaji ilikuwa ikifanywa na wazamiaji 30 kutoka kikosi Maalum Cha Kuzuia Magendo(KMKM) na Jeshi la Wananchi wa Tanzania(JWTZ), lakini jana hiyo vikosi zaidi vya uokoaji viliongezeka.

Vikosi hivyo vilifanikiwa kuivuta meli hiyo, lakini mnyororo ulikatika na hivyo kufanya meli hiyo izame tena baharini .

Sambamba na kufanyika kwa kazi hiyo, nao askari wa Kikosi Cha Kuzuia Ghasia(FFU) walikuwa hima kudhibiti vurugu na wizi katika eneo hilo lililokuwa limefurika watu.

Miongoni mwa vitu ambavyo vilikuwa vikiibwa ni magunia ya bidhaa mbalimbali ikiwamo vitunguu,viazi,nyanya juisi na magodoro.

Hadi jana jioni majira ya saa 12.00 jitihada za vikosi hivyo zilikuwa hazijazaa matunda.

Taarifa za awali, zilisema uzembe wa Shirika la Bandari Zanzibar ndio ulisababisha ajali hiyo kwa kuwa nahodha, Ussi ali alipiga simu na kuwaeleza udhaifu wa meli hiyo wakati ikiwa njiani na kutaka kusimama eneo la Chumbe, lakini uongozi wa bandari ulikataa na kumtaka nahodha huyo kwenda hadi bandari ya Malindi.

Wakati huohuo Taarifa zinasema kwamba waliokufa katika ajali hiyo wamefikia kumi.

(Habari zaidi tembelea www.mwananchi.co.tz ).

Source: Mwananchi

Zanzibar Ship Capsizes, 3 Dead!

Few days ago it was the commemoration of the tragic MV Bukoba accident, yesterday the news of the capsized ship sent shockwaves in zanzibar and Tanzania mainland. Below is the story covered by 'The Times' of South Africa;

At least three people drowned when a cargo ship capsized off the coast of Zanzibar, a port official said.
Mustaf Jumbe, head of Zanzibar’s main port of Stone Town, said search operations were launched late yesterday and were ongoing.
"So far, we have recovered three bodies and 27 people were rescued," he told AFP.
The MV Fatih had left Dar-es-Salaam on Friday afternoon and sank just before berthing at Stone Town around 9:00 pm (1800 GMT).
Its captain Usi Ali Usi told reporters on Saturday that he experienced problems with the ship’s rudder and then realised there was a big leak on the hull.
The total number of people on the boat could not be immediately established.
Zanzibar is Tanzania’s semi-autonomous island.

Source: The Times of South Africa. www.thetimes.co.za

Miaka 11 ya MV Bukoba, Watanzania Bado tunarudia Makosa!

Makala hii imeandikwa na Deus Bugaywa kuadhimisha miaka 20 ya Ajali ya MV Bukoba katika mtandao wa www.freemedia.co.tz. Nimeona ni muhimu kwani inatoa 'uamsho' na mbadiliko wa mtazamo jinsi tunavyoziangalia ajali kama nchi.Ni makala ndefu kidogo lakini yaliyomo ni ya muhimu sana. Tafadhali ifuatilie hapa chini:

LEO inatimia miaka kumi na moja tangu itokee ajali mbaya ya kuzama kwa meli ya mv Bukoba, iliyokuwa ikifanya safari zake kati ya Bandari ya Mwanza na Bukoba.
Kama zilivyo ajali nyingine nyingi kubwa, ajali ya kupinduka na hatimaye kuzama kwa meli ya mv Bukoba ilipoteza maisha ya mamia ya Watanzania na kuwasababishia hasara kubwa ya mali.
Umekuwa msemo wa kawaida sasa kuwa, kufanya kosa si kosa, bali kurudia kosa ndilo kosa. Kwamba mtu hujifunza kutokana na makosa.
Kwa kuzingatia msemo huu, Watanzania walitegemea kuwa baada ya kutokea kwa ajali hii mbaya katika Ziwa Victoria, ndio ungekuwa mwanzo wa kuchukua tahadhari ya juu kabisa kwa usalama wa vyombo vyetu majini.
Si tu ilitarajiwa hivyo lakini pia ahadi nzito nzito zilizotolewa wakati wa msiba huo wa kitaifa na Rais Mstaafu wa Awamu ya Tatu, Benjamin Mkapa, ambaye ndio tu kwanza serikali ilikuwa ikijiweka sawa madarakani, zilitoa faraja na matumaini kwamba ajali kama hii ingebaki kuwa simulizi katika historia ya Ziwa Victoria.
Umati uliojaa simanzi na majozi juu ya msiba uliosababishwa na ajali hiyo uliahidiwa na Mkapa kwamba, serikali itajizatiti kuchukua hatua za tahadhari za hali ya juu kuhakikisha usalama katika vyombo vyetu vya usafiri.
Kwamba serikali ingehakikisha usafiri wa majini na nchi kavu hauwi tena wa kubahatisha, na hatua madhubuti zitachukuliwa kuhakikisha ajali zinazozuilika haziwi tena chanzo cha mauti kwa wananchi wa nchi hii.
Sina hakika kama ahadi hizo za serikali zilikuwa za ‘kisanii’ kwa maana kwamba zilitolewa kwa kusoma ‘mood’ ya waombolezaji walikuwepo pale au zilikuwa za dhati kwa maana halisi ya neno ahadi.
Tena sina hakika vile vile kama zilitokana na kile kisemwacho wanasiasa mara nyingi ‘husema wasichokiimaanisha na humaanisha wasichokisema’.
Nilicho na uhakika nacho na ambacho ninakishuhudia kila uchao katika suala zima la usafiri wa majini na hasa ndani ya Ziwa Victoria ni kwamba safari za ziwani humo sasa si za uhakika kuliko ilivyokuwa miaka kumi iliyopita.
Kilichopo sasa ni kama serikali imekwenda likizo ya mbali na wala haina matarajio ya kurudi karibuni kuangalia mwenendo wa mambo ulivyo katika safari nyingi zinazohusisha vyombo vya usafiri ziwani humo.
Unaweza ukaonekana kituko kwa watu wenye akili timamu, ukisema kwamba pamoja na Ziwa Victoria kuwa moja ya rasilimali kubwa na msingi wa mhimili wa mapato kwa famili nyingi za wakazi wa Kanda ya Ziwa na hata kwa uchumi wa taifa, Ziwa Victoria sasa lina sifa moja kubwa ya kuwa kaburi la uhakika kwa wasafiri wanaolitumia.
Sababu ya kuwa na sifa hii ni moja ambayo mimi sipati kigugumizi kuiita uzembe wa vyombo vinavyohusika na udhibiti wa vyombo vya usafiri ziwani humo.
Imekuwa si habari ya kushangaza wala kusikitisha kwa wakazi wa eneo la Kanda ya Ziwa kila siku kusikia watu wanne au watatu wamekufa maji wakati mtumbwi wao ulipopigwa wimbi na kuzama na kusababisha mauti kwa watu hao.
Habari ya kushangaza ni iwapo zikitangazwa taarifa za kumalizika kwa wiki nzima bila watu kadhaa kufa katika Ziwa Victoria, chanzo kikiwa ubovu wa vyombo vya kusafiria.
Sina hakika hasa wajibu wa Sumatra na wakala wake katika kuhakikisha usalama wa wasafiri katika Ziwa Victoria ni kutoa makalipio na ‘kujitoa’ kuhusika, kila ajali inapotokea au ni kuhakikisha kuwa sheria na taratibu zinazotawala mienendo ya vyombo vya majini zinafuatwa ili kupunguza ajali na kuzuia kabisa zile zinazozuilika.
Itakumbukwa kuwa baada ya kupotea na baadaye kuzama kwa meli ya mv Nyamageni, baadaye ilidhihirika kuwa meli hiyo ambayo imetengenezwa maalumu kwa ajili ya kubeba mizigo, pia huwa inatumika kubeba abiria.
Zaidi iligundulika kuwa pamoja na kukiuka taratibu za usafirishaji kwa kubeba abiria badala ya mizigo, pia ilikuwa na matatizo mengi ya kiufundi, tukiacha yale ya kutokuwa na vifaa muhimu vya kujiokoa wakati wa hatari.
Lakini katika mshangao wa kila mtu utetezi wa SUMATRA ulikuwa, wa kulaumu wale walioiruhusu meli hiyo kuendelea na safari zake wakati ilishapigwa marufuku kusafiri majini muda mrefu.
Mambo yakaishia hapo, watu wakaandaa taarifa yao ya kujitetea, waliobahatika kuokota ndugu zao walioibuka majini baada ya kufa maji, wakaenda kuwazika na waliopata hasara wakajuta kuzaliwa, mambo yakaisha.
Hivi karibuni, taifa limenusurika kupata msiba mwingine mkubwa, Mungu ashukuriwe kwa kutuepusha na balaa hilo, baada ya boti ya mv Mlinzi kutoboka na kuzama wakati ikiwa imewabeba Waziri wa Maendeleo ya Mifugo na viongozi wengine wa serikali na Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) waliokuwa wakisafiri kwenda wilayani Ukerewe.
Kama kawaida yao Sumatra, hawakukawia kutoa taarifa kwa mfumo ule ule wa taarifa zao za kulaumu, kama ilivyokuwa taarifa yao baada ya kuzama kwa meli ya mv Nyamageni, taarifa yao ilieleza kuwa, boti hiyo mali ya Idara ya Maliasili mkoani hapa, ilipigwa marufuku kusafiri tangu mwaka 2005.
Mlolongo wa ajali hizi unaonyesha wazi kuwa wahusika waliokabidhiwa dhamana ya kuhahakisha hali ya usalama katika vyombo vya usafiri ziwani hapa, hawapo kazini, wako usingizini, huwa wanaibuka yanapotokea maafa, na kwa sababu usingizi unakuwa haujawaisha machoni, wanakurupuka na kusema lolote, na wanafanya hivyo kwa sababu wanajua hao wanaowatamkia kauli hiyo ni mbumbumbu.
Nimetafakari sana kabla ya fikra zangu kunielekeza huko, nimejiuliza bila kupata majibu kwamba hizi marufuku za Sumatra zina maana gani hasa?
Kwamba chombo kimezuiliwa kufanya safari kwa ajili ya usalama wa watu na mali zao, lakini kinaendelea na safari zake kama kawaida mpaka kinapata ajali, ndipo Sumatra wanaibuka tena na kukumbuka kuwa walikwishazuia chombo hicho kusafirisha abiria au mizigo.
Kauli kama hizi au kwa uhakika kama wanavyosema wao ‘ripoti’ zinawasaidia nini Watanzania na wale waliokaidi amri ya mamlaka hiyo halali iliyopo hapo ilipo kwa ajili ya kufanya kazi kwa niaba ya serikali?
Hivi inawezekanaje Sumatra walioaminiwa na serikali kuhahakisha usalama wa Watanzania na mali zao wanapokuwa wanasafiri katika Ziwa Victoria wanatoa maagizo muhimu sana kwa maisha ya Watanzania kisha hawafuatilii utekelezaji wake?
Jambo moja ni wazi kwamba hapa tatizo si wasafirishaji, bali ni Sumatra.
Ingawa sijui ni kwanini wenzetu wa Zanzibar waliwatimua jamaa hawa, wanaoitwa Sumatra wasifanye kazi huko kwao, lakini ninadhani sababu iliyowafanya wakafikia uamuzi huo ni kama hii ya kushindwa kutekeleza majukumu muhimu kabisa ya usalama wa Watanzania huku kikiwa ni chombo cha serikali ambacho ninaamini kina mamlaka yote ya kuhakikisha maagizo yake yanatekelezwa.
Mv Nyamageni na mv Mlinzi, ni ushahidi wa kutosha kabisa kuwa Sumatra wameshindwa kufanya kazi waliyopewa na serikali, meli hizi, ingawa zilizuiliwa na Sumatra kufanya safari zake, ziliendelea kufanya hivyo.
Na kama si kupata ajali, ina maana hadi hivi leo zingekuwa zinaendelea kufanya safari zake na kwamba Sumatra ambayo ilizipiga marufuku haipo.
Kwa ushahidi huo, Sumatra ni ya nini? Kuna faida gani kama si hasara ya kulipa watu mishahara ya bure? Na je, ni dhambi kwa Sumatra kufukuzwa kutoka eneo la Kanda ya Ziwa kama ilivyofukuzwa kutoka Zanzibar?
Pengine maneno haya yanaweza kutafsiliwa kuwa ni makali kutumiwa katika makala hii, lakini kwa watu makini, wenye kutafakari kwa sawasawa watakubaliana na mimi kuwa ukali wa maneno si mzito kama uhai wa Watanzania ninaoulilia.
Pamoja na kutokuwa katika kudhibiti vyombo vibovu visisafiri majini, Sumatra pia wameonyesha uzembe mkubwa katika kuhahakisha kuwa vyombo vya usafiri majini vinakuwa na vifaa vya kujiokoa.
Kwa kiasi kikubwa kunusurika kwa viongozi waliokuwa katika mv Mlinzi, kulitokana na wao kuwa wamevaa maboya, (life jackets) tangu mwanzo wa safari yao, vinginevyo haina shaka kwamba hivi sasa tungekuwa tunaongea habari nyingine.
mv Mlinzi inamilikiwa na Idara ya Maliasili hivyo kuwa na maboya ni jambo lilitorajiwa na wengi, lakini vyombo vingi binafsi vinavyofanya safari zake katika Ziwa Victoria havina kabisa maboya hayo na vile ambavyo vinayo hayatoshelezi abiria wanaosafiri na vyombo hivyo.
Na la kushangaza zaidi ni kwamba hata hayo maboya machache yaliyo katika baadhi ya vyombo hivi hayavaliwi na abiria.
Hili Sumatra inalijua, kwa sababu vyombo hivi vinatia nanga kila siku katika maeneo mbalimbali ya ufukweni mwa ziwa hili.
Inasikitisha kueleza ukweli kwamba idadi kubwa ya abiria ambao licha ya kutojua kutumia maboya hayo, lakini pia hawajui hata mahali yalipo ndani ya vyombo hivyo.
Ushahidi wa hili ni mmoja wa walionusurika katika ajali ya mv Mlinzi, Mwenyekiti wa CCM Mkoa wa Kagera, Pius Ngeze, aliyekaririwa akieleza kuwa licha ya kupewa maboya hayo kabla ya kuanza safari, hawakupewa maelekezo ya namna ya kuyatumia.
Ngeze anaeleza kuwa kutokana na kutojua kulitumia boya alilokuwa nalo, alijikuta likimfunika na laiti kama Anthony Diallo, Waziri wa Maendeleo ya Mifugo asingekuwa jasiri na kuthubutu kumvuta wakati boya hilo likimzamisha, sasa angekuwa marehemu.
Inasikitisha, jinsi Watanzania tunavyochezea maisha yetu, jinsi ambavyo tumeshindwa kujifunza kutokana na ajali ya mv Bukoba licha ya ahadi nyingi zilizotolewa wakati huo kuwa tahadhari kubwa itachukukiwa katika usafiri wa majini.
Kunusurika kwa viongozi wetu hawa kufa maji ndani ya ziwa lile lile lililozamisha ndugu zetu wengi na kuwazika humo, liwe fundisho kubwa, la pili, ni kuanza kuchukua tahadhari zote za kuhakikisha usalama wa usafiri katika maeneo mbalimbali ya maziwa na baharini.
Lakini pia tunapoadhimisha miaka 11 tangu maisha na mamia ya ndugu zetu yalipopotea ziwani, tukumbuke yale tuliyoahidi kufanya ili kuhakikisha tunaepuka uwezekano wa kutokea kwa ajali kama hiyo kwa mara nyingine.
Inawezekana tunakaribia kuchelewa lakini bado nafasi ya kujisahihisha tunayo, uwezo wa kurekebisha hali ya usafiri wetu pia tunao, na sababu za msingi kuchukua hatua za haraka kurekebisha hali ya sasa na kufanya safari zetu kuwa ni sehemu ya amani na si chanzo cha mauti tunazo.
Maadhimisho ya miaka 11 ya kumbukumbu ya ajali ya mv Bukoba, yazirejeshe nia zetu, katika dhamira ya dhati kuzuia ajali hizi ambazo kila siku zinaua Watanzania wenzetu.
Vinginevyo hatuwezi kukwepa kufananishwa na msemo wa sikio la kufa halisikii dawa.
Mungu awapumzishe pema peponi wale wote waliotutoka katika ajali ya mv Bukoba na awape faraja na matumaini wale wote walioondokewa na wapendwa wao katika ajali hiyo.
0754 449 421 drbugaywa@yahoo.com

Boeing Sued Over Kenya Airways Crash!

Families who lost loved ones accuse makers of operating a 'dangerous' plane!

Fresh questions have emerged over the safety of the Kenya Airways plane that crashed in Cameroon, killing 114 people.

Three British families who lost their loved ones when the Boeing 737-800 plane crashed into a swamp two years ago have gone to court, accusing the plane's manufacturers of operating a ''defective and unreasonably dangerous'' aircraft.

yesterday, Kenya Airways, which lost all its cabin crew during the tragedy, could not be drawn into commenting on the suit, lodged in Chicago, US, this month.

"Kenya Airways cannot respond since the matter is in court" said the national carrier's communications manager, Ms Veronica Kaigai, in a short text message to the 'Nation'.

The Cameroonian government, the lead investigators into the the cause of the accident, is yet to release its findings.

Read more on the 'Nation' www.nation.co.ke

MAONI...!Pamoja na Pole Kwa Mwakyembe.........

Yafuatayo ni maoni ya msomaji wa gazeti la 'Mwananchi' aliyejitambulisha kwa jina moja la Philip kutoka Canada mwenye email; pujap2001@yahoo.com

Nampa pole nyingi Mbunge wa Kyela Dk. Harrison Mwakyembe kwa ajali aliyopata.Lakini nafikiri halikuwa jambo la busara kwa dereva wake kujaribu kulipita lori lililosababisha ajali hiyo hasa baada ya kuomba njia mara tatu bila mafanikio.

Hiyo ilikuwa ni ishara tosha kwamba dereva wa lori hakutaka apitwe na kwamba angeweza kufanya lolote lile. Kama dereva aliye mbele yako anakataa kukupisha ina maana kwamba huna nafasi kupita.Hata kama alikuwa anataka kuwapisha, kwa kuwa yeye alikuwa mbele, huenda aliona kwamba hapo haikuwa mahali penye usalama kuwaruhusu wapite. Kwa hiyo, walipaswa kuwa wavumilivu.Kama dereva hazingatii kanuni za barabarani, basi ingekuwa jambo jema kuchukua namba ya usajili baada ya kuona kwamba alikuwa hataki kuwapisha yaani kabla ya kujaribu kulipita.Tatu, kwenye mlima na mterenko si busara kupita magari yaliyo mbele yako mpaka unapokuwa na uhakika ni salama kufanya hivyo. Nne, kama ni kweli Dk. Mwakyembe alimwambia dereva wake alipite lori hilo,basi dereva wake angemshauri kwamba si salama kufanya hivyo kwa nguvu.Dereva wa gari anapaswa kuamua mwenyewe bila kufuata ushauri wa abiria.

Wadau mnasemaje juu ya hili?

Shimo lililosababisha ajali ya Dk. Mwakyembe

Gari la Dk. Mwakyembe baada ya ajali.

Picha kutoka: Jamii Forums

Ajali ya pikipiki!

Ni kitu cha kawaida siku hizi kuona ajali kama hizi hasa ambazo zinawahusisha waendesha pikipiki.Kadri pikipiki zinavyoongezeka, na ajali za vyombo hivyo zinavyoshamiri. Mtazamo wangu ni kwamba, jitihada za makusudi zifanyike ili kudhibiti hali hii.

Photo source: http://changawafriendship.blogspot.com

Kutoka MOI Leo!

Dr. Harrison Mwakyembe atoka MOI.

Kwa mujibu wa taarifa zilizopatika Ofisi ya uhusiano Taasisi ya Tiba ya Mifupa na Magonjwa ya Ajali(MOI), Mh. Harrison Mwakyembe aliruhusiwa jana saa na kuondoka hospitalini hapa majira ya saa mbili usiku. hii inaashria kwamba, kama alivyosema Pro. Kahamba ambaye ndiyo kiongozi wa madaktari waliomtibu, kwamba hali yake inaridhisha sana."Namshukuru Mungu kwa kunisuru katika ajali hii, na mengine yote ninaamuachia Mungu" alisema Dr. Mwakyembe baada ya kuulizwa na mwandishi kama anafikiria ajali hii imetokana na mkono wa mtu.

Wananchi wengi waliweka dhana kwamba ajali hiyo inawezekana imetokana na njama za watu hasa wanaojulikana kama 'mafisadi' kufuati kuwa kwake mstari wa mbele katika vita dhidi ya

ufisadi.

Dr. Mwakyembe akiwasili MOI

Dr. Mwakyembe akiingizwa MOI

Dr. Mwakyembe akifanyiwa uchunguzi chumba cha majeruhi MOI

Dr. mwakyembe akiongea na waandishi wa habari

Dereva wa Dr. Mwakyembe

Kufuatia kupata unafuu Dr. Mwakyembe aliruhusiwa kurudi nyumbani jana saa 2 usiku.Tunamtakia Dr. Mwakyembe ahueni ya haraka!

7 People Dead, 11 Injured in Road Crashes in Arusha!

Masalia ya gari aina ya Landcruiser baada ya ajali

SEVEN people died and eleven others were injured in two separate grisly road accidents which occured in Arusha yesterday.

Police in arusha said the first accident which claimed 5 lives and injured 9 people, occured around 6.30in the morning along the Rusha-Moshi highway, near Usa-River, some 26 kilometres east of Arusha. The crash happened when a lorry bearing Kenyan registration number KBH 742 C, travelling from moshi, collided with a toyota Landcruiser with registration number T366 AJL, travelling from Arusha to the Tanzanite deposit hills of Mererani.Arusha Regiona police Commander Basilio Matei said, the driver of the lorry, Hamisi Maulid 36, resident of Kiborloni suburb near Moshi, was trying to overtake other vehecles when he hit the oncoming Toyota Landcruiser.

The five who perished were all passengers in the ill-fated Toyota Landcruiser, and according to police reports, Tanzanite miners. The lorry Driver is said to have been arrested by police immediately after the collision.

Matei named the five whose lives were cut short as including, the toyota Land cruiser driver Mathayo Mushi. others are Omary Hiza Makuka 30, resident of majengo suburb in Arusha, Uswege Mwaipanga 27, from Sakina suburb, and Judica Mollel.

Frank Hamisi Mwakatobe 33, a resident of Sakina is reported to have succumbed to death, on arrival at the Mount Meru Hospital where some of the injured were rushed for treatment, according to Arusha Police chief.

RPC Matei said a Suzuki Vitara with registration number T323 AQV was involved in a collision at around 10.00pm, near Burka Coffee Estates, killing the driver one ebbo Lepere, and his passanger loti Klaine. The car overturned injuring two people whose names could not be identified. They are both admitted at Mount Meru Hospital, according to Matei.

Abiria 500 Wakwama Baada ya Behewa Kuanguka Moro!

Abiria takriban 500 waliokuwa wakitoka Dar es salaam kwa treni kuelekea Mkoani Kigoma jana walikwama kwa saa kadhaa katika stesheni ya Mororgoro baada ya treni ya mizigo kuanguka katika stesheni ya Godegode iliyopo katikati ya Kilosa na Dodoma.

Mkuu wa stesheni ya Morogoro, Flavian Nyawale alisema abiria walikwama katika kituo hicho, jana kuanzia saa 5.35 usiku baada ya treni hiyo ya Mizigo kuanguka saa 11.00 jioni Mei 17, mwaka huu na behewa moja kuziba njia wakati ikitokea jijini Dar es salaam.

Nyawale alisema abiria walitarajiwa kuondoka jana saa 1.00 usiku baada ya kukamilika kwa matengenezo ya njia katika eneo ambako ajali ya treni ya mizigo ilianguka.

Continental Crash Shows Safety May Have Price!

Selling paint at Home Depot can be more lucrative than flying a commercial airplane. That startling fact emerged last week after three days of hearings by the National Transportation Safety Board into the crash of Continental Express Flight 3407 on Feb. 12 near Buffalo, which killed 50 people.
Among the headlines: The flight's 24-year-old first officer, Rebecca Shaw, earned less than $17,000 in 2008, her first year on the job with Colgan Airlines, the Manassas, Va.-based carrier that flies regionally for Continental, US Airways, and United. (The company later said the pay figure was reported incorrectly during the hearings, and that Shaw actually made $23,900.) Her pay wasn't the only part of the crash narrative that raised warning flags for some. Testimony also described the captain's prior failings on inspection flights and Shaw's overnight "red-eye" commute to work.
Yet it was Shaw's situation that seemed the most gripping, raising these questions: With so many costs squeezed out of airlines in recent years, just how low can a cockpit salary go? And is the airline industry reaching the limits of an economic model that seems to have more in common with Wal-Mart than with a highly trained profession where safety must come before all else?