Lake Victoria Travel Advice: Everything You Need to Know

Meters away from the point of sale, a mother with a toddler on her back is irritated by her constant crying. She unbuckles the belt, places a feeding bottle on the baby’s mouth, which not only silences him, but also makes him smile.

The light-skinned young woman, referred to by her alias, Maama Bulawuni (Brown), quickly places a shawl on the ground beside her stall. Her hands are (now) free to sell her wares, which are displayed on a makeshift stand. She uses her voice to call for more customers as she helps a few customers standing nearby, some holding fresh and smoked fish to weigh as they negotiate a lower price.

“I won’t go down a cent. There aren’t as many fish as there often are,” she announces in the local Luganda dialect, explaining that fishermen have been reluctant to go fishing lately because of the strong winds on Lake Victoria, the world’s largest tropical lake.

Muhammed Onyonyi, a resident of Ggaba Landing Site, says the first week of July was a setback for the fishing sector as fishermen were cautiously staying away from the lake, leading to bankruptcy.

“If a fisherman casts his nets far out into the lake at 4am, chances are he won’t return until around 8am. This means he risks his life, as strong winds can rock his boats and cause them to capsize,” Onyonyi explains.

The tide is high
The Uganda National Meteorological Authority (UNMA) warned that due to changing weather patterns in June and July, strong winds would be experienced on the lake. This has affected transport on the water body, as well as businesses. Eight deaths have been reported on the lake in the past two weeks. The winds have disrupted the smooth sailing and cruising of transport vessels on Lake Victoria.

The strong winds have also whipped up heavy waves that have capsized boats as fishermen made their way to earn a source of income. Waves that were once a picturesque sight as they gently lapped the banks of the giant Victoria are now hitting with such force that they are not only extending the lake’s shoreline but are also contributing to flooding that has sunk hospitality and residential facilities.

Operations at Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary, home to 53 rescued chimpanzees, have been hit by severe flooding caused by a dramatic rise in Lake Victoria. Dr Joshua Rukundo, the sanctuary’s executive director, says the lake’s waters have surpassed their highest levels ever recorded in 2021 and are currently about half a metre higher than they were then.

“All our essential facilities including the visitor accommodation and other facilities such as our shop, restaurant and visitor centre are currently submerged in approximately one foot of water. Our staff are working tirelessly to ensure the safety and well-being of our chimpanzees and minimise damage to our infrastructure,” Dr Rukundo told Saturday Monitor, adding that the floods have also damaged the sanctuary’s electric fence, which is crucial for the safety of the rescued chimpanzees.

Now that the fence is on the verge of collapse, the risk of the chimpanzees escaping or being injured is alarmingly high.

John Linonn Sengendo, communications and public relations officer of Uganda Railways Corporation (URC), says as Lake Victoria expands, flooding has cut off and blocked the administrative block and yard.

“The floods are part of the effects of climate change. A few years ago, our ports were not affected by floods. People have encroached on the wetlands to build on the shores of the lake,” Sengendo explained, adding that the destruction has prompted an appeal for support from the African Development Bank (AfDB), which will fund the redevelopment of both jetties, Port Bell in Luzira and the other in Jinja.

Cost of the floods
The repairs will be part of the $301m grant and loan from AfDB to URC, much of which is budgeted for improving passenger services. The Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary will need to raise its jetty another metre or so.

According to the facility’s director, boats are unable to dock properly at the reserve and are using the gabion wall as a makeshift landing site, compromising its integrity.

“We estimated the cost at $11,100 (about Shs41m) for raising and strengthening the pier. Since the beginning of the year we have been experiencing El Niño rains and this has since caused flooding on the island,” Dr Rukundo reveals.

The sanctuary has been a haven for rescued chimpanzees for over two decades.
The Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS) rapid emergency assessment in late May reported significant flooding at Lambu Landing Site in Masaka District due to rising water levels in Lake Victoria. The site consists of 700 houses and a population of around 4,000 people who are fishing.

Dr Brian Kanaahe, Director of Disaster Risk Management at URCS, says climate change has increased the frequency and severity of extreme climate and weather events and will continue to do so in the future.

The meteorological authority has warned fishermen not to overload their boats. The annual climate assessment revealed that the year 2023 was the hottest year on record in Uganda since 1950, followed by 2019, 2009, 2021 and 2020 in that order.

In UNMA’s book ‘The State of Climate of Uganda in 2023’, Prof. Bob Alex Ogwang describes how extreme weather and climate events in 2023 led to floods that affected thousands of people across the country.