Woman behind the vehicle

Safari vehicles take a beating on tough African roads. Ms. Penny makes sure your traveler’s Uganda safari vehicle is in tip top shape so that they can have a worry-free trip. One of the many wonderful and talented behind-the-scenes women in tourism, Ms. Penny took a few minutes out of her day working as a mechanic for Classic Africa Safaris (CAS) to share a bit about herself and her career choice.

During school I found the passion to become a mechanic as I wanted to be different from other girls and also encourage others that mechanic work wasn’t only for men. I joined Sula’s garage as I didn’t have tuition for higher education. Getting to Sula’s garage was aided by a saving group that my parents had joined which needed youth to train in different fields so I registered as a mechanic and began acquiring skills. After 2 years my parents decided to take me to Nakawa Vocational Institute and I was able to get a certificate in mechanics. 

I decided to became a mechanic because; 

• Job stability – globally everyone has a car and there are multiple vehicles parked in the garages so as mechanic they  will always be in demand as cars will always need a service or repair. 
• Help others – I have seen people stuck in a traffic jam where some poor person’s car has broken down, causing a back up. Imagine if you could be the hero that saves the day and helps them out by fixing the problem! That made me decide to be a mechanic hence helping people.
• Job respect and empowering – as a lady, this made me become a mechanic as ladies are not given the equal opportunity as boys do due to our being seen as weak in this heavy duty job. Hence I stood up as a strong lady to decide that I want to be a mechanic and inspire my fellow women.
• Love of cars and fixing things made me choose to become a mechanic. You get to be around cars all day. Most days you go home sore, tired and covered in grease, but if you have love for the cars, trust me it’s all worth it. Plus think of all the cool cars you will see. 
• Lastly, saving people’s lives – like most doctors are needed in the world also we mechanics will always be needed to diagnose issues with your car, and we could save you from potential accidents on the road. 

I became connected to Classic Africa Safaris (CAS) through my Institute internship program which lasted for almost 3 months at “CAS,” and through this internship program Mr. Mel got inspired by my hard-working skills. Working at CAS has given me skills and experience in motor vehicle mechanics. My favorite part of the job is to work on the engines and brake work.