He started in the 1980s behind the wheel of modified Peugeot taxis, survived rebel roadblocks, and trained under some of Uganda’s toughest transport systems. Today, Hanington Kiwanuka leads the country’s bus drivers.
In 1986, on one of Uganda’s major highways, Hannington Kiwanuka slowed his vehicle to a stop he would never forget. Ahead of him, armed rebels had mounted a roadblock. The message was direct; he should never return to the Masaka route.
‘I took it seriously. I never went back on that route,’ he recalls.
That moment, brief, tense, and life-altering, captures a career that has moved through Uganda’s most turbulent roads, literal and institutional. Today, Kiwanuka is the chairman of the Uganda Bus Drivers and Allied Association, but his journey began in a very different Uganda, one where taxis were modified pick-up trucks and formal bus systems were still taking shape.
The era of modified taxis
Kiwanuka began his transport career in 1980 as a taxi driver, when Uganda’s public transport system relied heavily on modified Peugeot pick-up trucks adapted to carry passengers.
The most common were the Peugeot 404 and later the Peugeot 504, vehicles that defined urban and upcountry travel in that era.
He first drove a Peugeot 404, mainly used for town service routes and capable of carrying about 10 passengers. It was a key vehicle for urban mobility at a time when transport options were limited.
He later transitioned to the Peugeot 504, which carried about seven passengers and was better suited for long-distance routes such as Kampala-Busia and Kampala-Masaka.
‘These vehicles played a big role in public transport at the time,’ Kiwanuka reflects, noting how they filled a critical gap in Uganda’s mobility system.
Uganda Transport Company
After his taxi driving years, Kiwanuka joined the then Uganda Transport Company (UTC) as a mechanic at its premises, where Mukwano Arcade now stands in Kampala. But his role quickly expanded beyond the workshop.
While working on buses, he also took up driving assignments, operating Tata lorries transporting goods across the country, including Bugiri, Kamuli, Masaka and Kyotera.
One of his key assignments involved transporting maize from eastern Uganda to Kampala before continuing with deliveries to upcountry destinations.
‘It gave me experience on Uganda’s main transport corridors,’ he says, describing the long journeys that sharpened his skills in both logistics and endurance.
Roadblock that changed everything
The most defining moment of his early career came in 1986, during a period of political instability. While transporting goods, Kiwanuka encountered rebels who had set up a roadblock on a major highway. They warned him not to continue using the Masaka route.
‘I immediately stopped going there,’ he says simply.
The incident forced him back to UTC, where he transitioned fully into structured transport work and into one of the most demanding training environments he would ever experience.
UTC training
At UTC, Kiwanuka expected his experience as a mechanic to fast-track him into driving buses. He was wrong. Every aspiring driver had to undergo strict assessment and training.
‘The bus was parked on a steep slope, and you had to move it without it rolling backwards even an inch. It was the strictest training I ever received,’ he recalls.
Failure meant disqualification. Precision and control were non-negotiable.
‘But when I passed, I really enjoyed driving,’ he adds.
The exercise, he explains, was designed to test discipline, control, and confidence, qualities UTC considered essential for passenger safety on long routes.
Learning the city
After passing the test, Kiwanuka was assigned short urban routes to build experience, including Kampala-Ggaba, Kampala-Natete and Kampala-Mukono.
After about a year, his performance earned him promotion to the Kampala-Gayaza route.
UTC’s system was structured. Every four years, drivers who demonstrated discipline and competence were promoted to longer routes such as Kampala-Gulu, Kampala-Mbarara and Kampala-Arua.
‘It was a system that rewarded responsibility,’ he says.
From buses to long-distance coaches
As Uganda’s transport sector evolved, Kiwanuka moved through different eras and employers, including operating Steyr buses introduced in the mid-1990s.
When Steyr buses entered Uganda around 1994, he enrolled for refresher training at what is now Spear Motors. He passed the tests successfully and returned to UTC.
His performance caught attention beyond UTC. He was later recommended to a private operator who deployed him on the Kampala-Gulu route.
The opportunity came with better pay, including a daily allowance of Shs10,000, and marked his transition into private transport operations.
He later drove for former Second Deputy Prime Minister Moses Ali on the Kampala-Moyo route, before moving into other regional assignments. After an encounter with rebels on that route, however, he stopped travelling there.
Across borders and back again
In 1998, Kiwanuka undertook a four-month road safety and transport management course in Eswatini, South Africa, sponsored by the European Union.
On returning, he advised businessman Godfrey Kirumira to invest in buses, leading to the establishment of BTC Coaches (Bagrey General Trading), which operated routes, including Kampala-Gulu.
The company quickly gained popularity, attracting notable passengers, including government officials and travellers on the northern corridor.
He later drove long-distance coaches to Kigali, Nairobi and Tanzania, cementing his experience across East Africa’s transport routes.
Among the passengers at the time, he recalls, was Minister of Justice Norbert Mao, along with many travellers on the Acholi route.
What has changed on Uganda’s roads
Now retired from active driving, Kiwanuka plays leadership roles, including chairperson of the Uganda Bus Drivers and Allied Association, chairperson of the National Union of Drivers, Cyclists and Allied Workers, and vice chairperson of the Federation of Bus Drivers Advocacy.
From this position, he reflects critically on how the industry has changed.
He argues that driver training standards have weakened over time, contributing to road safety challenges.
‘Passenger safety should always come first,’ he says.
He believes the strict training systems of UTC should be revived, where drivers undergo both theoretical and rigorous practical assessments before being allowed on the road.
A call for discipline
Kiwanuka also calls for stricter recruitment and vetting of bus drivers by transport companies.
He insists that possession of a driving permit and experience alone is not enough.
‘Drivers should be physically tested for competence. Not just on paper,’ he says.
He also raises concern about the growing informality in employment within the sector, where many drivers operate without contracts or formal job security. He says this leaves workers vulnerable while also undermining professionalism in the industry.