Global Press Institute by Apophia Agiresaasi Sunday 22nd March, 2015
KAMPALA, UGANDA -- Susan Muwonge walks steadily up the stairway to her office her office at St. Francis Junior School Buddo in Kampala, Ugandas capital and largest city. Her footsteps are loud and strong, signaling great energetic thumps. She opens her office door to a waiting reporter.
You are welcome, she says in a soft voice.
Muwonge started out as a fan of motor sports. Because there were only two professional female rally drivers in 2005, she decided to join the sport.
I wanted to increase the number of ladies in motor sport, she says.
In a short sprint that year, Muwonge finished second among the ladies and 15th overall in a field of 40. The first race she won was a beginners rally in 2007.
In 2011, Muwonge became the first woman to win the National Rally Championship, a series of six coed motor rallies spread throughout the year. The following season, Muwonge earned enough points to grab the eighth position on the International Rally Drivers Associations Women World Rally Ranking.
In December, she came in ninth in a field of 30 at the FIA African Rally Championship.
In her 10-year stint as a competitive driver, Muwonge has won more than 40 awards and medals in motor sprints and rallies, she says.
Motor sports have long been the province of rich men in Uganda. But in the last two decades, women have joined the men on the tracks and roads, sometimes beating them at their own game.
Uganda is celebrating more than 100 years of motor sports. As part of that commemoration, the Federation of Motorsport Clubs of Uganda will honor 60 people at an awards ceremony March 13, according to Reynolds Kibira, the secretary general of the federation.
Muwonge will be among the five women to be honored for their outstanding performance in the sport.
British colonialists introduced motor sports to Uganda more than a century ago, says Jack Wavamuno, president of the federation. Former Ugandan President Idi Amin, a rally driver and sponsor, popularized the sport during his reign, from 1971 to 1979.
Uganda has about 100 licenced motor sport drivers, 10 of whom are women who joined the sport in the last 20 years.
Media attention is inspiring more women to take the sport, Wavamuno says. Internationally renowned female rally drivers like French ace Michle Mouton help other women become aware of their potential, he says.
Some Ugandan women have excelled at motor sports, occasionally besting men. For example, Muwonge beat Ssebuguzi in the 2011 National Rally Championship.
On average, a sprint circuit participant would need at least 6 million shillings ($2,000) to join a race, excluding the cost of the car. She would also need about 3 million shillings ($1,000) for fuel, vehicle service, and meals and lodging for the entire team, he says.
Five years ago, the sports council persuaded the government to waive taxes for vehicles and other machines imported for motor sports. More people are now able to join the sport.
The council also encourages sports federations to name women to their management teams, he says. In such positions, they will be able to attract more female competitors to all sports, including motor sports. In addition, the council is lobbying corporations to fund motor rallies.
Challenging the assumption that only rich men can compete in motor sports, Ugandan women are winning over sponsors and even clinching prestigious titles.
Women are human beings like us. They can pick interest in any sport. They drive cars, so they can also compete in motor sport.
Rally driver Ronald Ssebuguzi
Motor sports have long been the province of rich men in Uganda. But in the last two decades, women have joined the men on the tracks and roads, sometimes beating them at their own game.
British colonialists introduced motor sports to Uganda more than a century ago. Former Ugandan President Idi Amin, a rally driver and sponsor, popularized the sport during his reign, from 1971 to 1979.
Uganda has about 100 licenced motor sport drivers, 10 of whom are women who joined the sport in the last 20 years. Some are housewives; some run family businesses or work in the corporate world.
My father was a rally driver, my uncle was part of the sport, and my husband was a rally driver. I just used to go and support them. My husband trained me to navigate for him, and in that same year I started doing sprints.
Leila Blick Mayanja, race car driver
More women would join the sport if they were funded.
Susan Muwonge, motor rally champion
Its not good for women to be in motor rallies. I dont think women in motor sport still have a heart of a woman. A woman should be soft and kind, not driving aggressively the way they drive.
Moses Mubiru Musana
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