Driver Graduation 2019

Safe Way Right Way (SWRW) held the first professional driver graduation on 13^th November 2019, in an event that saw over 150 drivers of Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV) graduate as professional drivers. The graduation ceremony held at Makerere University Business school is one of its kind in Uganda and was held to celebrate the Women and men who have taken part in the professional driver training in a move to enhance driving skills, increase employability and most especially make them advocates for safe driving. The event was also an opportunity to recognize the efforts of Safe Way Right Way and its partners and supporters in the move to professionalize Heavy Goods and Public Service Vehicle driving through the Professional Driver Training Uganda project (PDTU).

The graduates who included drivers and instructors were delighted by this achievement and the prospects and opportunities that this training presented.  Ms. Judith Nambuya, one of the trained drivers narrated her story of how she managed to save the lives of 2 people because of the first aid training skills she had obtained through the driver training and she continued to encourage women to join SWRW and start their training, because like her they could have a great career turnaround.

Our partners, Total Uganda Limited were represented by the Total Uganda Managing Director who is also the SWRW Board chair, Mr. Obi Imemba highlighted the need for strong partnerships “the challenge of road safety in Uganda is everyone’s responsibility because of the extent of the problem and the urgency it presents so I encourage individuals, companies, Civil Society and Government to continue in a concerted effort to make Uganda roads safer for all”. He also he continued to applaud the efforts of SWRW in engendering the previously male dominated profession by training and empowering women as professional drivers of HGV and hopes there will be more women drivers by the next graduation.

Mr. Sam Clark from Transaid, a UK charity Organisation that has been supporting SWRW in the driver training and quality assurance   stated that the 16 instructors that graduated were the only instructors equipped with the knowledge and expertise to train drivers according to the EAC standard and this is a great achievement for the PDTU project.

The Guest of Honour Hon. Aggrey Bagiire, State Minster for Transport was represented by the Commissioner of Transport, Mr. Winston Katushabe. He thanked the efforts of the partners and reechoed Government commitment towards the drive to safer roads and increasing employment opportunities prospects for Ugandans in the Oil and Gas Sector “The ministry of Works and Transport, is committed to continuing this partnership with Safe Way Right Way, Transaid and your implementing partners including GIZ, Total Uganda, Total Exploration and Production, Toyota Uganda, Bollore Logistics, Tullow Oil among others. To address the need for professional drivers in the Oil and Gas sector, to meet the gap of 1,800 HGV drivers”. He also applauded the drivers that were able to complete their training and have graduated, sending them out to be ambassadors of safe driving to reduce on the accidents that are happening regularly in Uganda and the whole region.

Mr. Eric Olanya the Country Director, Department of International Trade, British High Commission, stated that DFID was proud to be part of this achievement of having the first professional driver graduation, he thanked Transaid for sending out experts to train trainers and promised that DFID will continue to support the work of SWRW in professionalizing Heavy Goods and Public Service Vehicle driving.

SWRW was established in 2016 as a result of collaboration between the World Bank’s “Global Road Safety Partnerships” and Total SA to improve road safety on Africa’s roads economically critical corridors. It is funded by a number of private sector companies which include Total Uganda Limited, Total Exploration and Production, Toyota, Bollore Logistics, Tullow Oil, CNOOC, Hima Cement Ltd.     

Bwire Silver Ochiondo is a driver trainer at the Professional Driver Training Uganda (PDTU) project under Safe Way Right Way. Bwire has been a Heavy Goods driver for 20 years and would never have imagined himself as a driver trainer.

“I had never touched a laptop before, but being a trainer made me more used to laptops, and my sons who have done more school than me helped me so they were supportive.”

Bwire is part of a team of five trainers at the Safe Way Right Way professional driver training centre which has been set up as part of the PDTU project. The project has trained a total of 16 trainers to deliver truck driver training to the level defined by the EAC curriculum. Together, they are the only trainers in the region to date, able to deliver this standard of professional driver training and is part of an effort to build the capacity of providers in Uganda, in preparation of the adoption of this curriculum as a regional standard.

Bwire grew up in rural Eastern Uganda close to the Kenyan border. He was brought up by his mother, his father having sadly died when Bwire was a young boy. After completing school, he joined a transport company as a sweeper in a workshop, then became a turn boy or driver’s assistant which is how Bwire learned to drive trucks. In 1995 he started driving trucks on his own throughout East Africa. In 2001 he left is driving job after being in a serious road traffic crash in which he was badly injured. It was two years before Bwire started driving trucks again. In February 2018, Bwire saw the PDTU advert in the newspaper asking for new trainers, and he decided to apply.

“I wanted to keep working, but not do the long journeys that most truck drivers have to do or have the stress, working under pressure and the roads are dangerous…I knew from my years of driving how few people had received any training and wanted to give them more.”

Since Bwire completed his training in July 2019, he has trained approximately 30 truck drivers, three of whom have been women.

“I see the drivers at the start of their careers like I was years ago. I like that the job is advancing my skills and that I don’t have to do long journeys in the truck. I would like to train as many Ugandan’s as possible before I retire so I can help reduce the accidents on our roads.”

Bwire is motivated to be a part of the PDT-U and hopes the impact of the project improves people’s understanding of how dangerous it is to put pressure on drivers on the road.

“I hope that the [drivers] I am training will get the chance to grow old and retire and see their grandchildren and they won’t die on the roads.”

Safe Way Right Way will be holding its first driver graduation ceremony on the 13th of November 2019, at the MUBS rugby grounds to celebrate the people that have taken on the challenge to Proffesionalise Heavy Goods and Passenger Service Vehicle driving in East Africa.

Mukasa Couriers Limited, based in Mengo, Kampala, is a key Ugandan transport and logistics firm which carries out trucking operations for the likes of Total Energies. The standards it requires from its HGV drivers are above the national minimum standards in Uganda and there are frequently challenges with finding adequately skilled drivers.

The GIZ funded Professional Driver Training Project in Uganda (PDTU), implemented by Transaid and Safe Way Right Way, aims to address the shortage of appropriate skilled drivers by building the capacity of at least 12 HGV driver trainers in Uganda to be able to deliver training in line with the East African Community Standardised Curriculum for drivers of larger commercial vehicles ahead of its adoption by EAC member states.

Mukasa Couriers Limited committed to a partnership with Transaid and in so doing, agreed to send a proportion of its drivers to be trained by trainers linked to a specialist HGV training school which has been set up by the PDTU and has been providing training to drivers since May 2018. Eric Mbaalya, the Transport Manager at Mukasa decided to challenge the trainers by sending five newly recruited drivers to undergo training.

“The new drivers that went through the training are already giving tips to the other more experienced drivers – they are better than our most experienced drivers.”

All new drivers at Mukasa Couriers Limited generally undergo a probationary period of six months during which they accompany senior drivers and rarely get to spend much time behind the wheel.

“We rarely give trucks to the new drivers, but those that did the training already have them, after only being with us for three months.”

One thing that Eric particularly liked about the training was that the trainers can deliver the training in local languages so that the drivers fully understand what they are supposed to be doing. He also appreciated the fact that the trainers have driving experience and therefore a knowledge of the day to day challenges experienced by drivers on Uganda’s roads.

“Deo [PDTU Trainer] is very perfect. He understands drivers.”

Mukasa Couriers Limited are continuing to support the PDTU by sharing their drivers’ telematics data. By monitoring the ongoing performance of drivers that have been trained, before and after the training, Transaid hopes to demonstrate the impact of its driver training programme in improving safe driving behaviour.

You can find more information about the PTDU here.

Kamulegeya Ronald, one of the graduates of the Professional Driver Training Uganda (PDTU) always had a dream of driving trucks ever since he was a young boy and now the now 37-year-old father of one is proud to call himself a Professional driver of Heavy Commercial Vehicles with both CM and CH permit classes. He started his training in Heavy Goods Vehicles in September 2019 and managed to complete the four-week long training in October. At the time of the training, Ronald was driving a smaller truck with a construction company, but when he found out about PDTU he decided to take off time and be trained to drive bigger trucks because this would enhance his chances of getting employment.

Asked to comment about the cost of the training Ronald narrates “Once I was told how much it costs, I knew right away that the training was subsidized considering the duration of the training, maintenance costs of the trucks, the cost of fuel, and the instructor’s fees. The cost is very friendly and you get more value for the money”.

Ronald says joining the driving school has changed his driving behavior greatly and has made him pay more attention to certain things that he never used to consider before joining PDTU, “The training at PDTU has changed my road behaviour. I am more aware and considerate to other road users. Each decision is well thought through unlike before”

“I recommend the training highly.  If drivers could go into driving schools like PDTU, I am sure there would be reduced accidents on our roads”, Ronald believes that most of the accidents on our roads happen because drivers lack proper training so are prone to making mistakes some of which are fatal.” With this much needed training under his belt, he is looking for a job and is confident that will get a good one after he his current contract ends.

Safe Way Right Way will be holding the first Heavy Goods Driver Graduation Ceremony on 13^th November 2019, at the MUBS rugby grounds. The event is aimed at recognizing the pioneers of this project and looking to encourage more people to join in and get the skills that will both promote road safety as well increase chances of employability.

Nelima Muyobo is one of the female drivers that have stepped up to challenge the myth that truck driving is for men only and she has done it with such grace, elegance and determination to the admiration of many.  Earlier this year when Nelima, expressed interest in learning how to drive trucks, she was met with a setback because she could only drive automatic cars but being the determined person that she is, this did not hold her back but instead fired her up to pursue this dream that she had had for a long time. She went back to a driving school to learn how drive manual vehicles and returned to the Professional Driver Training Uganda (PDTU) Centre ready to take on the challenge and her instructors could not be more proud. 

Nelima, went on to complete her four week driving course for Heavy Good Vehicles and currently holds a CM driving permit hopes to drive trucks through East Africa and further. Narrating her experience at the training centre Nelima said “When I first came to the school, I was a little scared and did not know what to expect, but the team there was very supportive, the instructors very professional, patient and filled me with confidence. I had been driving for a long time but when I enrolled at PDTU, I released I still had so much to learn to be a better driver. The training is highly recommended.”

The 36 year old mother of two encourages women to take on this opportunity “There is still a thinking in Uganda that truck driving is for men only, but having done it myself I don’t see what should stop fellow women. I would encourage women who have this passion to use this opportunity and increase their chances of employment”

The driver training at the PDTU is based on the standardized East African Community (EAC) Curriculum is done by very experienced trainers who are deemed as some of the best in the region. To maintain the quality of training, the trainers also undergo regular remedial training by experts in field seconded by Transaid UK. The training is currently free for women and men get a 50% discount.

The PDTU is one of the initiatives from Safe Way Right Way (SWRW) aimed at improving road safety through professional driver training for Heavy Goods Vehicles and soon Passenger Service Vehicles.   PDTU was set up with support from GIZ E4D/SOGA, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation, UK Department for International Development, and the Norwegian Agency for Development.