It's true to say Ernestine Mukagihana's line of work is not something you find many women doing.
On a working day, Mukagihana is driving a six-wheel 70-seater RITCO Bus, ferrying passengers from the City of Kigali to various upcountry destinations and back.
The bus service is known to go to the furthest and remotest parts of the country, not served by other transport agencies. It is a job she has graciously done for the past 18 years--a job often associated with men.
Of Mukagihana's 18 years on the road, 10 have been spent in the cockpit of a passenger bus. She started as a cab driver in 2005, before she upgraded her license category to mini-buses ('twegerane' taxis), and later to buses.
"I have always believed that everything is possible. If someone can do something, I can also try to do it," the 46-year-old mother-of-nine and resident of Nyarugunga Sector, Kicukiro District, said.
Love to drive
Growing up, Mukagihana never believed the notion that there are certain jobs men can do but women can't, firmly asserting that ability does not depend on gender.
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It started with her love for driving, but she never saw herself becoming a professional driver, living off her skills on the wheel, but the more she did it, the more she fell in love with it.
A few years into it, Mukagihana's passion persisted and she wanted to move from smaller cars and minibuses to big buses and trucks, henceforth upgrading her driving license. She has been driving buses since 2008.
Stereotypes and bias
It is a job that exposes her to all kinds of people, including those who doubt her abilities and are reluctant to hop onto the bus when they see her at the wheel but are converted when they get to their destinations safely.
"In my line of work, there are many people who get to see me driving the bus, whether they are walking on the road or entering the bus, and they have doubts when they see a woman at the wheel.
"Will we arrive at our destinations? How are we going? They start asking themselves, then they become very curious to see how things will go," Mukagihana said.
"I drive them well to their destinations. The journey becomes smooth and then they get convinced. The next day they start telling people that they saw a female bus driver," she added.
Overcoming challenges
Mukagihana is happy that every time people have doubts about her abilities, at the end of every incident-free journey, they have a changed heart and no longer harbour bias.
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Mukagihana started driving big buses with the former government transport agency, ONATRACOM, before transitioning to RITCO, her current employer.
She is trusted to go to every corner of the country. Whenever duty calls, she goes. It is a tough job to juggle with motherhood and taking care of family needs, considering that she is on the road most of the time, but she says together with her employer they developed a schedule that grants her enough time to rest and recharge before getting back on the road.
Considering that a bus like any other machine can have mechanical issues, some people blame it on gender, yet in reality this is something that can happen to anyone, regardless of gender.
Similarly, sometimes her efforts to inspect the bus to see if it is in good mechanical shape before setting off is misunderstood for fear yet she is simply taking precautions.
'Women can'
Mukagihana does not agree with the notion that there is a problem a man can solve that a woman cannot.
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"We all have the same rights, same abilities, and power to do something. Our abilities are tested by our delivery on the job. They do not look at gender."
Among fellow drivers, she has become a centre of gravity, earning her some sort of celebrity status. Male drivers see her as a balancing act and even acknowledge her ability.
She said along with a few other female drivers, they have inspired a generation of young girls who are taking on driving as a vocational skill.
Mukagihana encourages young girls and women to pursue their dreams without being limited by gender stereotypes and beliefs that discriminate against girls.
"Don't listen to people saying you cannot do this; you cannot do that. You can perform at the same level, or even better than a man, produce the same quality of work, and earn the same income," she said.
Mukagihana added that there are professions where there is ready employment, but girls cannot join because of gender-based stereotypes and stigma. She encourages girls to have the right attitude and believe that they can achieve anything.
She also believes there are other women to look up to, including those serving in different fields, including the army, police, engineering, and other professions, which were previously considered fields of men and boys.
Thanks to her job, she has been able to take care of her family, educating and providing for her nine children, two of whom have already completed university and are working.
Fixing big cars
In the same space where Mukagihana parks her bus is Eusta Yorudaniya, another example that women can indeed do whatever they put their minds to.
The 25-year-old, born in Muhanga District, is one of the mechanics who service the buses to ensure that they are in good shape before they hit the road.
Yorudaniya is also in a field that is considered one for men, given the physical demands and nature of the work involved--but not for the IPRC Karongi graduate who spends her day under the bus with a spanner.
Upon completing secondary education, Yorudaniya joined the Western Province-based college to pursue mechanical engineering. Today, she is one of the mechanics who fix RITCO buses.
"Growing up, our parents gave us a good education and motivated us to do whatever we wanted to do. They showed us that we can do anything," she said, adding that she also believed that being a mechanical engineer was preserved for men.
She started by learning how to fix small cars before gradually moving to mini trucks and SUVs. Today she fixes big buses and trucks. Working with men has never been a problem.
The young mechanic said she has no problem spending the day mostly with men in the garage, pointing out that it is her work that speaks for her, not her gender.
"The biggest challenge we have is that there are few girls in this profession. I encourage our fellow girls to come and join us in this work. It is a job that you can do and earn a living," Yorudaniya said.
Fixing big cars, trucks, and buses is not a job for the weak, as it involves moving big, heavy spare parts and working tools of equal measure and size, but Yorudaniya is not bothered by that, and being female has not deterred her.
One of the biggest challenges she cites is a lack of trust when clients are told it is a female mechanic who is going to fix the car and they start doubting if she can do it.
An example she gives is when a car overheats post being serviced, chances are it will be the mechanic to blame, or even her age and strength but Yorudaniya works hard every day to dismantle these beliefs and biases.
"As you know, RITCO goes to all parts of the country, so anytime I can be called to fix a bus anywhere if it breaks down," she said, adding that not being married or having no children gives her an edge, as it makes her reliable and available.
Like Mukagihana, Yorudaniya said it took courage and confidence to venture into an area of work often reserved for men and she did not let negative attitudes derail her dream.
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'It's a woman's world'
Godfrey Nkusi, Managing Director at RITCO, hails the two women for their exemplary work and for being an inspiration to many others who are held back by gender barriers and stereotypes. Their character and personality are the icing on the cake.
When they were hiring, Nkusi says the company specified that it was looking for women drivers and mechanics and that is when they were recruited.
"We're blessed for these amazing and dedicated women in the company. Previously, whenever we would announce job recruitments, we used to mention that we needed both men and women," he said.
"We were very specific that we were only hiring women to work in the garage, and we received four ladies. Two worked with us for a short while and left, and we stayed with these two," Nkusi added.
On Yorudaniya, Nkusi said she has earned a name as a trusted mechanic, breaking the bias that most mechanics cannot be trusted, while Mukagihana has also proved that women are safe drivers.
"Most people have had very bad experiences with mechanics who are dishonest and fraudulent, but having women working in garages is satisfying because they're usually very reliable and honest.
"And, when it comes to driving, women generally tend to be safer drivers. They're not very aggressive and don't usually violate traffic laws," he added.
Benson Otieno Ochieng, the garage manager at RITCO, said Yorudaniya is a source of joy.
"We are proud of her. She is so dedicated to her work, and has shown the ability to be one of the women who has defied the odds to become one of the most sought-after mechanics, due to her expertise in motor vehicle repair," said Otieno.
"She is reliable, committed to her work, and always ready to learn from those who are better than her. She's doing really great," he added.
The two women have gone a long way in demystifying the belief that some jobs are tough and can only be done by men. In their world, nothing is impossible.
