In terms of numbers, yes, the mv Bukoba boat disaster still holds the record, as more than 500 lives were lost. That was in May 1996. Even so, these past two weeks have been unique. Three accidents have occurred, each surpassing the previous one in the horrifying number of casualties.

It began on June 16 with a tractor carrying a Football team plus supporters from one village going to play in another village in Arusha region. While negotiating a hill, the trailer detached and sped down the valley with its human cargo. Eleven people died, some on the spot, some in hospital.

Four days later, it was Arusha region once again on a disaster roll. This was when some 40 miners suffocated to death at Mererani while mining underground for the precious gemstone tanzanite. What exactly happened will only be known when the commission appointed by the government completes its enquiry.

Then came the train crash in Dodoma, central Tanzania, on June 24, last week. Some 280 people have died.

Death is never easily accepted in any society. In more primitive ones, witchcraft is the easiest scapegoat. And the culprit is taken to be that envious neighbour or that red-eyed old woman.

Civilised society is more rational. There are laid-down procedures on who is to be held accountable. And that somebody is the government.

Little wonder, then, that the Tanzanian public is focusing on what the government could have done to avoid such accidents or at least minimise their costs.

It is evident that safety measures are hopelessly inadequate in workplaces and public utilities. This is not a new tendency. All the previous accidents point to the same weakness. When Bukoba sank, it was pointed out that it had fewer lifejackets than the number of passengers that routinely boarded it. To this day, most boats continue to operate without enough lifejackets. In the case of the Mererani mine, one would have thought some lessons had been learnt after the El Nino disaster.

Why does the government continue to ignore precautionary measures? Insofar as political responsibility is concerned, there is no doubt that it rests with the government. Failure to act, however, may not necessarily be the outcome of irresponsibility. For any government to act, it needs first the capacity to do so. Let us not take it for granted that the government can train the necessary manpower and rapidly put it in place. Remember these are times of shrinking government and shrinking budgets.

A logical suggestion would then be that utilities with inadequate safety measures be closed.

Tanzania is a vast country without good roads. Insisting on safety measures would bring the country to a standstill. In the case of buses, a measure of success has been registered because the operators are private companies. Even here, however, the cut-throat competition among operators has claimed many lives in road accidents. One can only hope the impending privatisation of the Tanzania Railways Authority (TRA) will lead to a greater sense of responsibility. But again let us remember that the tragedy of Mererani occurred in a private mine.

Ultimately, the government must find a way of acquiring the capacity to discharge its duty of ensuring safety. How it does this is its own affair. The least it can do is to have the courtesy to explain to citizens the reasons for its incapacity.

Mr Okema is a political scientist based in Dar es Salaam.

Copyright 2002, Nation Media Group Ltd. All rights reserved.