New law expected to improve transport

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania has created marine and surface transport regulatory authorities.

That is expected to improve transport, according to National Institute of Transport rector Zakaria Mganilwa.

Initially, Tanzania had one transport regulator.

But as technology improves and mode of transport expands it became difficult to meet the demand.

Parliament passed a Bill for new Land Transport Regulatory Authority Act, 2018 (Latra) last month, repealing the Surface and Marine Transport Regulatory Authority (Sumatra) Act.

It also established the Tanzania Shipping Agency Corporation (Tasac) to regulate marine transport.

“When Sumatra came into force, there were few marine activities but now our ports have expanded and goods transported by neighbouring landlocked countries using our ports have also increased, calling for renewed efforts to increase efficiency,” said Prof Mnganilwa.

He noted that since the 1990s the government had upgraded roads to tarmac level, encouraging transporters to haul more goods via roads.

He said since colonial days railways were built in Africa, but as industrialisation is gaining tempo it has become more important to increase regulation to improve efficiency.

Latra will regulate transport by roads and railways. They include motorcycles, Bajajs, buses and trains.

According to the new 2018 Latra Act, the regulatory body has a number of responsibilities including collection of fees payable for the grant and renewal of licenses according to section 35(1).

It is further expected to collect levies from regulated suppliers; all other payment due to the authority among other payments.

Tanzania has the high number of marine and road accidents.

According to a crime and traffic incidents statistic report, the number of accidents increased to 9,856 in 2016 from 8,337 in 2015.

However, the report shows that the number of accidents declined by 43.9 per cent between January and November 2017 compared with the same period in 2016.

In May 2017, 29 children, two teachers and a driver of Lucky Vincent School in Arusha were killed after a minibus veered off a steep road in Karatu, Arusha.

President John Magufuli said on July 2018 that he sacked then-Home Affairs minister Mwigulu Nchemba for failure to resolve a number of issues, top among them fatal accidents.

In July 2012, MV Skagit sank in the Indian Ocean, killing more than 80 people.

In September 2018, a crowded boat capsized in Lake Victoria, killing about 200 people.

In May 1996, MV Bukoba sank in Lake Victoria, killing almost 500 people.