Travel to Kalangala island will certainly become more knotty following the announcement by Kalangala Infrastructural Services Limited (KIS) that it will suspend ferry services next week citing delayed payment by government.

KIS operates MV Pearl and MV Ssese ferries that ply the Masaka-Kalangala route under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) at the cost of Shs 4 billion in each quarter.

The ferries connect between Bukakata landing site in Masaka and Luuku-Bugoma landing site in Kalangala district on Lake Victoria.
 
John Opondo, the managing director of KIS says they have already notified the ministry of Works and Transport, Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) and Kalangala district local government  of their plans to halt ferry operations on February 10, 2017 due to resource constraints.

Bukakata landing site for the two ferries, MV Pearl and MV Ssese

Opondo says they can no longer operate because of delayed payment by government, adding that they have even failed to pay their workers.

He didn’t specify how much they demand from government. Willy Lugoloobi, the Kalangala LC V chairman, says the announcement from Kalangala Infrastructural Services Limited has triggered public outrage.
 
He says should the company suspend its service, it will paralyses transport and cause chaos. Lugoloobi has asked government to release funds to facilitate ferry operations.

Susan Kataike, the spokesperson of the ministry of Transport and Works, only said they are aware of the delayed payment for the ferry services but declined to comment further.
 
Currently, both MV Pearl and MV Ssese ferries have reduced the trips between Masaka and Kalangala. The two ferries make ten round trips instead of 12 trips that they are supposed to make.