Search for education ends in death in lake

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By Frederick Katulanda

It was another day for 37 nursery and primary school pupils from Chitandele island in Lake Victoria when they boarded a boat to go to school on the morning of August 4.

For it happens that Chitandele has no school, and children from the island have to foot slog for a distance of about half a kilometre daily to the school situated at Lukumba village on the mainland in Sengerema District, for studies.

But that morning, at about 7am, their boat which was also dubbed “school boat” capsized, killing 18 of them.The boat belonged to Mr Rwakanadi Mtahoya, 51, who used it to ferry his children and others to the school.

“After registering my children, I was faced with the challenge of getting them across the lake to school. I therefore decided to construct the boat,” he narrates.

He says adults who travelled to the mainland from the island paid Sh200 each. And since students travelled free of charge the boat came to be known as the school boat.

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