My wheels :Rev.Can. Olivia Nassaka, We have owned this car together for nine years

Rev. Can. Dr. Olivia Nassaka Banja is the Dean of Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology at Uganda Christian University in Mukono. She is the first female to head the theological school in a century (since 1913 when it was started).

For how long have you been driving?
It is about 10 years now since I learnt how to drive. I remember I went to a driving school in 2004 with my husband, Rev. Can. Moses Banja although I dropped out and went back two years year later to complete my driving lessons. Real driving started in 2006.

Which driving school did you go too?
We went to Dungu Kafulu Driving School.

How was the experience at the driving school?
It was not bad really. Only that one thing I recall is when I drove the car to the pavement when I was just learning how to drive. I called upon my instructor to help me but he refused. He told me to do it myself. When I finally did it, I later learnt that to break through the fear of driving alone, you have to try it out on your own without any help.

What type of car is this?
It is a Toyota Sprinter 1994 model.

For how long have you been with this car?
I have been with it since 2004. What I didn’t tell you is that I own it with my husband. It is the only car we have owned and we have never thought of changing or selling it off.

Do you mean you have never changed cars all this time? I see you like it so much. What is good about it?
It is a very good car. It has low fuel consumption, good and easy to maintain and it is easy to repair in case it breaks down because its spare parts are readily available in the market.

I believe there are times when it has broken down. Have you had such experiences while driving?
I know this is going to surprise you but I must say our car has never broken down. This is because we ensure that it is ever in good condition at all times. We never wait for it to get into bad conditions before we give it attention.

How do you maintain it to ensure that it does not break down?
We ensure regular servicing. We have also been using only one garage ever since we bought it. It is called Kyobe’s Garage at Nakulabye. Whenever we sense that there is something slightly unusual with it, we take it to Mr. Kyobe who manages everything well because he has experience in that field and he is really honest. We never exceed two months without taking it for check-up.

Most priests prefer bright colours like white or cream just for cleanliness. Why did you choose such a colour for your car?
Actually you are right. We really craved a cream car. We knew that it was a colour for clean people and above all it is a peaceful colour too. We prayed about it but when the deal was finally sealed, the broker told us that its colour was gunmetal (Blue-black).

We nearly rejected it but later believed God that may be it was for a reason for him to bring us that one and in deed, it was for a good reason. It was a miracle to us. This is because like I told you, it has never broken down or caused an accident for all this time we have been with it.

It is also still intact up to now, something that is rare to find with many cars these days. I have seen people buy cars and a few weeks down the road, they are already complaining about their mechanical faults.

I am tempted to think that this car is so small for you. What do you have to say about it?
It is not. This is because our family is small too. We have only three children. In case we are all travelling, I sit in front with my husband and the children sit at the back. So at the moment, it is really enough and we are not complaining about it.

While driving, what are those things other drivers do on the road that you don’t like?
Drivers who do not observe road signs surpass my understanding. Those who overtake on the wrong side moreover on a narrow road, dark spots and corners annoy me too. There are also drivers who drive on pavements. It is like they don’t mind about other drivers on the road and other people’s lives.

Would you receive a very urgent phone call while driving?
I can never do that however urgent it may be. Usually when I am with my husband, he receives them. When I am alone, I either stop and receive the calls or put all my phones in silent. I put them back when I am finally at my destination.

What would you do if at all someone knocked your car on the road?
Would you jump out and stop the offender?
They have knocked this car several times but whenever such happens, good enough the offenders realise their mistakes. They have always taken all the costs of putting it right without us struggling with them. We have never spent our own money on this car after an accident because we do not cause accidents.

So what is your dream car?
It will be a Range Rover. That will be for the family because I am not a fan of big cars. But like I said, I intend to remain with this very car even after buying another one.

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