Ngabirano dreams of changing public transport

Ambitious. Amanda Ngabirano is a tenacious and ambitious woman who has refused to let any obstacles stand in her way. Having worked her way through multiple careers Ngabirano says she has finally found her calling as an urban planner, writes Edgar R. Batte.

You might remember Amanda Ngabirano’s face from the national broadcaster Uganda Television as a Swahili news reader. Ngabirano has since moved on from the small screen and now spends her days shaping young minds at Makaerere University.
Ngabirano likes to plan ahead. As a student at Kyegobe Boys School, she decided to add Swahili to her combination targeting opportunities in the East African Community.

At that time, it was assumed the actualisation of a united EAC was just a matter of time. Someone fluent in Swahili would have a lot of opportunities. She also planned to do a degree in education at Makerere University but as they say even the best laid plans fail.
When results came back, Ngabirano had scored 19 and she was not admitted to her dream university. She, however, refused to let this setback stand in her way.

“With 19 points, I was the best student in Kabarole District but when the admission lists were out, I was not admitted on Education. I went to see the minister of Education then, Hon. Namirembe Bitamizire whom I told my story and asked to help. The minister kindly intervened on my behalf and the senate reconsidered and I was admitted,” Ngabirano recounts.

Teaching career
Ngabirano went to Institute of Teachers Education Kyambogo from where she graduated with a diploma in education. She started her teaching career at City View High School as a student teacher. Even though she was not being paid for teaching, Ngabirano was enthusiastic about the opportunity reasoning that she was picking up skills that were would make her a better teacher. “It was not easy working for no pay. I had daily expenses to meet such as transport to and from school and general upkeep. I will forever be grateful to my family who generously supported me,” the teacher says. With teaching practice under her belt, Ngabirano applied and landed a teaching position at St Lawrence Citizen High School where she taught Swahili language.

Bright lights beckon
Ngabirano is a go-getter who believes in making the best of every opportunity that comes her way. That is why in 2002, Ngabirano made up her mind to apply for the position of a news anchor at UTV. “I was watching UTV one day when an advert calling for potential Swahili news anchors appeared on the screen. Without hesitation I prepared my CV and applied for the job. Imagine my excitement when I was called for an interview and made it to the last two shortlisted candidates,” she relates.

Her excitement was short-lived because when she started her stint at the national broadcaster, her eyes opened to a lot of inadequacies, at reporting and at managerial level where everyone was unmotivated and did things in a passive manner.
“I am not sure what environment I had expected to find at UTV but except for a few people most of the things were underwhelming. I instantly knew that I could do better,” she relates.

The Shs20, 000 she was earning per bulletin was not enough to sustain her. To make matters worse she only anchored news twice a week, so the smart thing to do was keep her teaching job too. Once again she refused to focus on what was wrong with the job at UTV and decided to use the opportunity to learn as much as she could from veterans such Bbale Francis, and also build a network that would help her career.

“I worked with people who were constantly complaining about their jobs without doing anything to improve the situation. There was a lot of negative energy around, so I started looking for a way out of there,” Ngabirano recounts. According to Ngabirano the problem was not just with the employees but management too. “UTV was suppressive. The managers were like small gods and juniors could not freely express themselves,” she notes.

Back to teaching
At that point, she decided to enroll for a bachelor’s degree in Urban Planning at Makerere University.
“I focused all my energies on the course. My effort was rewarded because on completion of the course, in 2002, I was awarded an upper second degree and also retained by the university as an assistant lecturer,” she explains. With a more secure job she decided to end her stint as news anchor at UTV. I decided to start a career as a lecturer because the study of land use, management, landscaping and design, enabled me to appreciate the politics of planning. I was keen and excited,” the 40-year-old urban planner explains.

Ngabirano had finally found something that fulfills her. She enjoyed teaching and shaping young people, molding them for a better future.
“No student is dull. Everyone has an opportunity to become the person they want to be. Students are adults and I treat them as colleagues. They have already formed character and personalities. I love teaching,” she explains, allowing herself a smile that reveals a gap between her teeth, below her dark gums.

Passion for urban planning
The urban planner is passionate about conserving the environment. She decries the degradation that has taken place in the city. “I would love to see that wetlands are protected from encroachers irrespective of their social status. When people build in wetlands, they affect urban planning where structures, water channels and trenches would be adequately planned for to avoid flooding,” Ngabirano states passionately.

She blames the poor planning that has led to crises such as flooding on individualism and excess freedom where people use underhand influence to put up structures without approved plans in areas where they should not be.
“Another pertinent issue that needs to be tackled urgently in Kampala is public transportation. Construction is done in road reserves and feasibility planning is blind to social necessities such as public walkways. The transport system is in need of urgent reorganisation,” the academic says.

She offers a public private partnership as a possible solution to the city’s transportation challenge. “There is no city whose transport is operated privately. The government needs to get involved and subsidise transport fares. Private taxi operates hike fares during peak time and lower them during low business hours. For instance the Tanzanian government has moved in to manage public transport alongside private operators, which has improved their transport system immensely,” Ngabirano explains.

Making a case for cyclists
She is an active cyclist who will not sit and fume in traffic jam. More often, she is seen on her bicycle snaking her way through traffic jams. She notes that cycling is a more economical way to travel around the city, with no fumes and health hazards unlike cars.
“Plus, riding improves cardio health and takes less space on the road which would naturally deal with traffic jam. On a bicycle, there is a lot more to see and it could be one way to promote tourism,” Ngabirano adds.

She holds a master’s of science in Urban and Regional Planning and Developing at the University of Greenwich/Saxion University of Applied Sciences, in Netherlands. She completed the academic programme in a year after which she returned to Makerere University to continue lecturing. On any day, Ngabirano is a friendly person, free but cautious. She is married, a mother, a part of her life she prefers to keep private.

Contributions
The urban planning expert presented cycling as a possible solution in the process of formulating the Uganda Sustainable Transport Network (UST-Network), in 2013. In 2017, during the Transforming Transportation Conference at World Bank, Washington DC she talked about the need to protect cyclists and pedestrians as majority road users, worldwide. The cyclist enthusiast even appears in a popular video that roots for cycling. “I was the main personality behind a cycling film “Cycologic” by three Swedish ladies. It has been screened and won several awards in many countries. It carries a message of inclusive planning for all in our cities, especially in Uganda and Africa in general-and underscores the leadership role and responsibility,” she explains.

four years of imparting knowledge, she enrolled for a master’s of science in Urban and Regional Planning and Developing at the University of Greenwich/Saxion University of Applied Sciences, in Netherlands. She completed the academic programme in a year after which she returned to Makerere University to continue lecturing. On any day, Ngabirano is a friendly person, free but cautious. She is married, a mother, a part of her life she prefers to keep private.