On Lake Victoria ferries, passengers pray and hope for the best With the memory still fresh of the sinking of the a ferry two weeks ago in Tanzanian waters, leaving 228 dead, passengers crossing Lake Victoria from Nairobi are fearful. The accident highlighted the risks for the thousands of residents on the shores and islands of the lake, forced to use overcrowded or poorly maintained boats to go about their business, in a region where few know how to swim.