‘Why would I fix a tyre?’
Bina Baibe stands by her car, inside the car, on the road and part of its entertainment system that includes a provision for a cassette/tape. PHOTO BY EDGAR BATTE
Who is Bina Baibe?
I am Robina Mbabazi Mulera, a radio presenter on Dembe FM. Bina Babe is a nickname.
Which was your first car?
I had a Rav 4 and later got a Mitsubishi RVR and I gave it out to my best friend. Okay, I lent it out to him. He wanted to give it back to me but I refused. I recently bought a Nadia.
Did you give it out because it was faulty?
I did it out of love and everybody abused me. But he was staying far away than I was.
Since then, what have you been driving?
I have been travelling using bodas, taxis and also borrowing cars from my brothers if I am going to crack a deal.
Did people call you names while on a boda or when you were in a taxi?
They would notice me but they would instead thank me for my radio show and narrate problems that I have solved during the programme. I would sometimes pay for fares for those who have identified me in a taxi. But it is on social media that people would suggest that I buy a car.
The taxi men, would they tease you?
They would only tease me when I would wear short outfits but not for not having a car. But when I wait for 30 minutes at a taxi stage and there is no taxi coming, some people would hoot and tell me to buy a car.
What were your nasty experiences on bodas?
When it rains, sometimes motorists splash water on you. It was annoying.
What were the boda men like?
I used to sit like a man whether the outfit is short or not. They would often struggle to take me, I don’t know whether they felt good about it or not. I used to chat with them about my show and what is in the papers.
So tell us more about your third car
I am not selling it and won’t give it out unless I get money to buy a black and tinted Harrier.
How come you didn’t get a black Nadia?
Others were expensive and had higher mileages, besides I did not think of a black Nadia.
What is your favourite car colour?
I like sky blue. But it was not on the Internet. I have never seen a sky blue Harrier as well.
What was the cost and source of the Nadia?
I got it off the internet two months back at Shs10m yet in the bond it goes for Shs15m. I managed to save Shs5m.
Engine size?
I don’t know yet, the information is on the log book. But I think it is like the Rav4, at 2000cc.
What did you like about the car?
I like big cars. Its fuel consumption is fine. It is well raised. Its colour is also nice.
Do you wash it?
I take it to the washing bay.
What mileage is your Nadia?
50,000km.
What else do you like about the car?
Its interior is good. It has a CD and a tape slot. The previous one didn’t.
Any challenges you have noticed so far?
Lack of legroom because I am tall.
A nickname for it?
Maybe we should call it baby.
Do you lend it out?
No, I don’t. People promise to refuel the car but they don’t.
Do you offer lifts?
I offer lifts if the person being offered the lift is willing to drive.
Why would you do this?
It is because such people keep telling you where to go and what turns to make so it is better they drive themselves.
What if they don’t know how to drive?
The lift is then not offered, period.
Anything funny that you did lately?
I boarded a boda and forgot that I had a car. I have been on bodas for over a year, so it came naturally but it was also funny.
Your thoughts on Ugandan drivers
They drive so badly like they own the road. When I was driving from Jinja, someone just joined the road from Namawajolo and I almost rammed into other cars. Some overtake without caution. I don’t know if they are drunk or they just -want to leave this world unlike some of us who are yet to have children.
THIS AND THAT
Any dream car in your mind?
I have driven it before (it was the Rav4), now I am focused on the Harrier as long as it is black. I don’t usually task myself with hard to get dream cars. I look at those that I can afford.
Do you know how to fix a tyre?
No, why would I know. It is not my job, someone else has to do that.
Last words...
I thank people who gave me money or offered me lifts, especially the taxi drivers. I thank those who helped me clear it from the time of importing it till I got it.
