This archive report was first published on 20 December 2021.
On December 16, 2021, Bamburi Cement, in partnership with Isuzu East Africa, Kenya Transporters Association, and four other organizations, launched the Women on Wheels program, a female-centered training and recruitment initiative aimed at increasing the number of women in the truck driving profession.
The program brings together key players in the transport industry to eliminate the entrenched male culture, improve working conditions, and ensure safe workplaces. The partners include Pioneer Road Safety Consultants Ltd, Diamond Defensive Driving Academy, and North Star Alliance.
Through the program, women undergo rigorous technical truck operation and defensive driving training, equipping them with skills on how to operate heavy trucks, including simulator exercises, road safety, and soft skills training and coaching.
Kenyan women currently make up only 10% of the public transport workforce, with 85% of them working as PSV operators in the Nairobi Metropolitan area, according to a 2020 survey by Flone Initiative.
Speaking during the launch, Bamburi Cement's Country Head of Health, Safety and Environment, Jane Wangari, said, “beyond the training initiatives, Women on Wheels program will also ensure job placement for the women with Bamburi and its logistics partners. We are set to recruit at least 100 women annually into the programme, and grow going forward.”
Bamburi Cement Managing Director Seddiq Hassani said the programme fits within the company’s “diversity, equity and inclusion” agenda, adding that the company had signed the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEP) as part of its commitment to promoting gender equality and inclusion in its workplace and the community.
