Saturday, February 26, 2011

Other victims who suffered the pangs at the Ubungo bus terminal

Mwajuma Omary is a resident of Tanga who also has suffered the same fate when she was traveling to Mbeya one day. Narrating the story, she said that, “she has ever lost his luggage when touts surrounded and snatched her a bag as though pretending to help her. Accompanied by her two young daughters and the little one she carried on her back, the touts who approached her tended to escort her at the booking office. To her dismay one of them who had carried her luggage lost out of her sight and suddenly vanished to unknown destination with her bag. She cried in agony after a long search for the man, and without help as everybody he saw was busy and nobody cared to help her trace the whereabouts of the man when she pleaded for help from passersby and eventually her luggage got lost for ever. When she reported the matter to the police post station located within the terminal compound, to a great dismay no policeman who dared to pay attention to her claims, and instead they seemed to be busy with other things, she lamented for her luggage which has never been recovered up to now. Jumanne Hamisi, a student of Tumaini University of Iringa campus suffered a severe fate a year ago when he called at the terminal, the sad story he recalls and that he hasn’t yet found the mouth with which to narrate. He says that, on the fateful day he was issued with a ticket by touts whom he believed to be working as booking clerks when he met them on his way towards the main gate as he approached the terminal, and only to find that it was a faked ticket on the following day when he reported at the terminal to board a bus. Mr. Hamisi, now a third year student studying law at the University had to board Skyline bus according to the ticket he had, and after ascertaining that the ticket was not for the bus company, he demanded for the original and a real copy issued by the transport agent. Hamisi who by then became furious and fiercely disappointed was asked by bus conductors to substantiate from where he got the ticket and who had issued it to him among the clerks who that morning were paraded at the booking office for identification. He however, couldn’t see the man among the present clerks shown at the office. Puzzled by this realization, he was also shown a legal sheet of all passengers who had booked for the bus the previous day. When he realized his name was not there he was shocked and became surprised as panic reigned within himself wondering how. He immediately knew he had been conned. He then remained silent pondering the next move as there was no evidence that could further support his argument. There are so many annoying things like theft being practiced by touts at the bus terminal that cause detrimental effects to passengers. Such malpractices when brought before the law-enforcers are not given special attention as they deserves.

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