KAMPALA, Uganda: The Chairman of the Bus Drivers Advocacy Forum (BDAF), Kakaire Umar Kiyuba, has appealed to the government, through the Ministry of Works and Transport, to partner with them in establishing a private bus driver instructor training school. The initiative aims to enhance the capacity for training and deploying professional drivers across the country.
Kakaire made the appeal on March 23, 2026, during an exclusive interview at the BDAF offices located at Bukandula Plaza along Lubaga Road. He emphasized that the proposed school would be the first of its kind and would help bridge the gap in skilled driver human resources.
“We are currently constrained by several challenges, including the prevalence of unqualified (quack) drivers, unregistered and unregulated operators, poor roadworthiness of bus fleets, and a shortage of qualified professional drivers in the country,” Kakaire said.
He noted that BDAF seeks a formal partnership with the Ministry of Works and Transport to grant them the mandate to establish the training school. The institution would focus on building professional capacity and addressing the sector’s persistent challenges.
Kakaire revealed that the forum has a membership of over 4,000 drivers nationwide, many of whom require retraining to keep up with the evolving technological landscape in the transport industry.
“We have engaged international development partners who are willing to provide infrastructure support, including training buses and essential road user tools, to equip drivers with the skills needed to perform their duties professionally and minimize human-error-related incidents,” he added.
However, he explained that these partners require guarantees from the government to enable joint implementation of the project. Such support would strengthen the local bus transport industry and enable it to meet the growing demands of passengers.
According to Kakaire, the proposed government guarantees would help cushion drivers from initial project transaction costs, which would later be recovered during the implementation phase when buses are imported and operationalized.
He further called on the government to allocate land for the training school, mobilize expert trainers, and streamline registration and licensing systems. In return, drivers would meet the costs of training, licensing, certification badges, and related logistics.
Meanwhile, local drivers also appealed to the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development to improve their welfare. They urged the government to engage bus owners on issues such as fair salaries, route allowances, health benefits, continuous professional training, and clear retirement packages.
