Kate, a graduate from the Professional Driver Training Uganda Project Phase Two (PDTU-2)

Kate is thirty-five years old, and a mother to three young children. She has loved driving since childhood and always wanted to pursue this passion as a career. After working in Dubai for a period of time, Kate researched opportunities for professional driver training in Uganda and came across Safe Way Right Way (SWRW) and the PDTU-2 project.

SWRW has been Transaid’s partner since 2016, helping to respond to the huge rise in demand for Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) and Passenger Service Vehicle (PSV) drivers in Uganda, by offering training courses in safe defensive driving, refresher courses for those that have completed their training, and helping to find employment opportunities.

Whilst reflecting on her training with SWRW, Kate explains why it has made her feel more confident and safer on the road:

“We are taught defensive driving techniques and how to be aware of what is ahead, we are taught the meaning of sharing the road, when to rest and why this is important, what to use behind the wheel and what not to use, and how to keep ourselves and others safe on the road.

“This is so different to the training that other people receive. The roads in Uganda would be a safer place if everybody could get the chance to train in a defensive driving school, and if all could come to train at SWRW and be sensitised about how to use the road correctly.

“Once training is completed, the training centre will help to find career opportunities for the trainees, as well as guiding them through the application process and interviews. Employers are often impressed by drivers that have trained at SWRW; its trainers are seen as some of the best on the continent.

“Most importantly, SWRW offers subsidised refresher training.”

Kate’s family has a negative perception of professional driving and are cautious of her career. They hear every day on the news about the fatal road crashes that are happening in Uganda, especially in the capital, Kampala.

“They feel that too many people lose their lives driving a truck, and the truth is that a lot of truck drivers in Uganda can be reckless.”

Whilst talking about the challenges that drivers face on the roads in Uganda, Kate explains: “Many of the roads are in poor condition, they are narrow, and they often flood during the rainy season. To add to this, there are also many badly trained drivers on the road, who go too fast, get distracted and think it is acceptable to make use of the footpaths to get through traffic. A lot of drivers do not go to driving school, they are taught informally and cause many crashes.

“The reason we undergo defensive driving is because we want to reduce, if not stop these road crashes.”

Kate explains that often professional female drivers are presented with further challenges, including uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous circumstances: “Some employers may discriminate against women. Often there is a lack of suitable hygiene facilities, maternity conditions, and danger in being a lone woman on the road. Even the need to change a flat tyre can expose women to an unsafe situation.

“Men are the lions and elephants of the road. However, as more women enter this profession, there is stiff competition because women are often found to be safer drivers.”

Kate endorses the opportunities available for women through SWRW and the PDTU-2 programme, “I encourage women to come and train, go out and work, have a skill, this is something that will never die. You can practice it anywhere, any day. Once you have mastered that, you will be ok.”

The Professional Driver Training Uganda Project Phase Two, which is part of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Employment and Skills for Development in Africa (E4D) programme, aims to upskill drivers to take advantage of employment opportunities, while equipping them with the knowledge to be safer on Uganda’s roads. It was implemented jointly by Transaid and Safe Way Right Way (SWRW) on behalf of GIZ E4D.

With the support of industry partners, Transaid has built the capacity of Master Trainers and Trainers in Uganda, in turn enabling them to train drivers to a level in accordance with the East African Community Standardised Curriculum for drivers of large commercial vehicles.

Download Kate’s story here.