MV Bukoba was a Lake Victoria ferry that carried passengers and cargo between the Tanzanian ports of Bukoba and Mwanza. On 21 May 1996 she sank with great loss of life, reported as up to 1000 passengers drowned. This occurred in 25 metres (14 fathoms) of water, 30 nautical miles (56 km) off Mwanza.

Bukoba was built in about 1979 and had capacity for 850 tons of cargo and 430 passengers. The manifest showed 443 passengers in her first and second class cabins, but her cheaper third class accommodation had no manifest.Abu Ubaidah al-Banshiri, who was then second in command of Al Qaeda, died in the disaster.^{[citation needed]}

Possible causes were identified by Captain Joseph Muguthi, formerly a captain in the Kenya Navy, and writing in the pages of the Daily Nation as a marine navigation consultant. He labelled it an accident waiting to happen, as Lake Victoria ferries disregarded safety regulations. Specifically:

More overarchingly, Muguthi blamed the incident on governments' marine departments being staffed by civil servants and politicians who have no understanding of ships and marine decisions.

Bukoba is a town in northwest Tanzania on the western shore of Lake Victoria. It is the capital of the Kagera region. Population estimate: 100,000. The city is served by Bukoba Airport and regular ferry connections to Mwanza, as well as ground transport to Uganda's Rakai District.

Situated on the shore of Lake Victoria, Bukoba lies only 1 degree south of the Equator and is Tanzania's second largest port on the lake.

Bukoba town is situated at the Western shore of Lake Victoria in the northwest of Tanzania. The regional capital and Kagera's biggest town is the gateway to the region. The climate is sunny and mild most of the year. It can sometimes get cool especially in the evenings during the two rainy seasons, but never as cold as the winter season in Europe. Kagera's Regional Commissioner Col. Fabian Massawe resides and has his head office in Bukoba town.

The town is flat and compact, forming a bowl as it is surrounded by hills. The town has a bus stand, a small airport and a port with a ferry that travels from Bukoba via Kemondo bay port to Mwanza on Monday,Wednesday and Friday nights. Auric Air flies three times a day to Mwanza. In 2010 the airport is being extended and more flights are expected. A bus leaves for Kampala at 7 am every day (about 6 hours)and from Kampala for Bukoba at 11 am every day. It boasts a white sandy beach, a large market, a port, tennis courts and a swimming pool.It has 3 banks, two of which take VISA cards in the ATM.