Gaagaa’s Gender Revolution

(On the Road)

It’s a man’s world, right? Well, sometimes I do not think women need emancipation, they only need their human rights. They are already equal to men except opposite in gender and bear kids; that’s the only difference.
What can men do that women can’t? Drive cars or specifically heavy trucks? Women can also drive, watch every Toyota Rav 4 that passes you. The probability that the driver is female is very high.


(Alice in her Pilot's attire)

Gaagaa Bus Company (symbolized by a white necked black crow in a red ring as the logo) revolutionized traveling to West Nile by introducing 7 to 8 am departure times for coaches. The pre-existing bus services Nile, ANKK, and Gateway used to leave Kampala for Arua at 5.30 or 6am. In order not to miss the journey, travelers would spend their last night in nearby lodges or bear the stench and congestion at the community lounges in Arua Park. With the arrival of the high flying Gaagaa, you could enjoy the comfort of your own home before moving to Arua Park at dawn. Besides the greetings cards during festive seasons, frequent-traveler bonuses and emergency stops, Gaagaa revolutionized the coach business by being very gender sensitive. In stead of bearded hajjis, you will find beautiful women selling tickets and also inspecting tickets on board the coaches. What you miss to see sometimes though, are female mechanics in red overalls (formerly blue for Arua and green for Paidha).

Nevertheless, the most outstanding placement is a woman driving the snow white coach, probably the very first lady on the Northwestern Route. Alice Nyambura, 41, born in Buranga, Kenya loves her Ugandan job. It is even simplified further by the smooth road to Arua. Despite Soleil Bonei International (SBI), an Israeli company, completing the route from Arua to Pakwach (shortening the journey by about an hour) many months ago, the Chinese contracted to complete the route from Karuma finished their assignment around 2007.
“I love driving because it is my future. I usually cover 530 km from Kampala to Arua and 730 km from Kampala to Koboko.” Alice wishes that more Ugandan girls would join driving schools by drawing inspiration from her example, and even drive up to Yei in Southern Sudan. When she came to Uganda in the middle of 2006, she was very surprised to see that not many women drive, yet back home in Kenya, there are several female bus drivers. She is proud to be a pioneer in a foreign nation and surely deserves the golden stars on her shoulders.
“You cannot do this job when you are married.” Whenever the good natured Swahili enthusiast who also speaks comprehensive English arrives in Kampala, men working in the city cheer her. All Gaagaa drivers usually wear white shirts designed like those worn by airforce pilots. Do not be surprised to see a handkerchief on her collar. She still tries to maintain cleanliness, expected of women, even in a soily man’s job. You might sympathise that something sharp cut her around the neck and she used a handkerchief to prevent the blood from staining her snow white collar, but it is actually red dust on the Kampala-Arua Highway.
Gaagaa tickets which cost 17,000 UgX to Arua are cumbersomely affordable compared to other companies. Nonetheless, a 25,000 UgX per trip Executive Scania Coach may be introduced. In it, passengers will be free to sleep because of the reclining nature of the seats similar to those in Boeing and Airbus jets…

(C) 2007 AikoGraphics (Article)