Kaija paid his own fees to scale the aviation heights
Apr 02, 2006
THE purring of the engine of the Cessna 172 aeroplane grows louder. As the blades on its top begin circling, a group of young men in sky blue shirts standing nearby step back.
By Harriette Onyalla
THE purring of the engine of the Cessna 172 aeroplane grows louder. As the blades on its top begin circling, a group of young men in sky blue shirts standing nearby step back. There is a roguish gentlemanliness about them. These are students of the East African Civil Aviation Academy (EACAA) in Soroti.
The aeroplane, registration number 5X UAM, taxis on the runway. One of the students is piloting it while the other students look on eagerly. Soon, the small plane becomes a tiny spectacle against the hot midday sun.
Below, EACAA’s director Silver Kaija chats with a young flight instructor about the hazy morning weather, which has prevented the student pilots, aircraft engineers and flight operators from having practical flight lessons.
With an athletic gait, the stout man hurries back to his office. In Kaija’s handshake emerges a man of great character – disciplined, hard working and virtuous.
Seeing Kaija thus, conversing on diverse issues with such insight, it is easy to see that he is widely knowledgeable but hard to know how far he had to go to reach here.
In his mind’s eye, Kaija still sees the nine-year-old boy who ‘dressed a little differently’ one day to go to school with other children from the neighbourhood. That time in 1966, he was in Kampala to help his eldest sister as babysitter.
“I wondered why I couldn’t go to school like other children. When my sister saw me in my best shorts ready for school, she laughed. Among the many reasons she gave, I noted one – I needed money to go to school. The next year, I went back to the village to look for money,†Kaija says.
In Rugombe village in present-day Kyenjojo district, Kaija did odd jobs like working in people’s gardens until he raised the sh3 needed for each school term. “It wasn’t difficult so long as you were ready for any kind of manual work,†he says.
Kaija joined Rwentuka primary school, which had only primary one. The fifth born out of seven children, Kaija was the first to go to school in his family.
“School was not a big deal. Life revolved around the garden,†he says.
Kaija went to Karogoro primary school where he studied from primary two to seven. He completed in 1967 as the only pupil with a first grade and was admitted to St. Leo’s College, Fort Portal for his senior one.
“My parents realised I was serious and began selling goats to pay my fees. But my good performance in primary seven earned me a bursary of sh500 annually for O’ Level. My fees was sh650 so I paid only sh50 each term. Luckily, through God’s grace and hard work, I was always the first in my class,†he says.
In 1977, Kaija joined St. Henry’s College Kitovu, Masaka for Higher School, now A’ level. He completed in 1978.
“In A’ Level, it was the district where you come from that remitted your fees to the school. So Kabarole district paid my fees,†Kaija says.
“My career choice was made because it was Idi Amin’s regime when university graduates were being humiliated. So, I chose aviation. I fancied aviation; it was a perfect opportunity for me to use my hands. I like using my hands,†he says.
After sitting a stringent aptitude test, Kaija was among the 16 students admitted to EACAA in October 1978.
“Coming from a humble home, there was temptation to relax, for life was luxurious. Thankfully, I managed to keep focused unlike many of my colleagues. I graduated as second-best. Because of my conduct, I was retained as an instructor trainee,†he says.
Since qualifying as an aircraft engineer in February 1983, Kaija has not been away from EACAA except for studies. “In aviation, it is hard to hop around jobs. Still, I had opportunities to move and make better money but I had job satisfaction. As I climbed the career ladder, I encountered challenges that kept me hooked.
“The distance from home disturbed me. I had a strong attachment to my village. I always find time to go there to look after my livestock and give my wife a hand in her business. She is the proprietor of Impression One Hotel in Kabale. However, I live a simple life. I find no hardship living in Soroti. In fact, my wife is an Atesot,†he says, winking.
The father of five boys commends government’s efforts in subsidising the aviation fees for Ugandan students by half at EACAA.
“It is only Uganda that subsidises fees for its students despite not having a national airline. If it were not for goodwill and strategic planning, this school would have already been closed. But government recognises that being a landlocked country, we need to develop aviation. Not only airports but also human resource,†he says.
“Even with that, the cost of an aviation course is high. But there is no way we can reduce it. For example, for every hour of flying, we use 100 litres of fuel. Each litre of aviation fuel is $1.5 (sh2,739). We use about sh280,000 per hour. Students have practical flight lessons for at least 90 hours every week,†he says.
EACAA is the only school offering professional pilots’ license training in the East and Central African region. The other schools offer private pilots’ licence training.
The academy has trained students from Kenya, Tanzania, DR Congo, Rwanda, Sudan, South Africa and Germany. Kaija says EACAA has only three aeroplanes for its 120 students. He says there is need to upgrade the academy’s training equipment. “We have turned away many applicants because we don’t have enough aeroplanes. Although the fees are high, parents are sacrificing because aviation pays. In the end it is a good investment. But with the current technology advancement, the laboratory equipment needs to be changed; it was acquired years ago,†he says.
Despite this, the academy has produced graduates who have gone on to the top of the aviation world. “In aviation, being a captain of a big aeroplane is a dream come true. London-based Dairo Air and Kenya Airways are our biggest employers. We have about 10 captains from this academy all over the world,†Kaija says.
Now the 49-year-old Kaija was promoted from a chief ground instructor to the academy’s acting director in 1998. He is yet to be confirmed.
The interruptions seem unavoidable. There is warmth as the staff mill in and out of Kaija’s spacious office. His wooden desk, gleaming with deep brown vanish, is neatly stacked with papers, files and trays.
Kaija has a Master’s degree in Business Administration and qualifications in all the courses offered at EACAA. Had he not driven self, would he have helped fly aeroplanes? Had he not unbridled his future, would he have helped harness the future of our aviators?
Ends
THE purring of the engine of the Cessna 172 aeroplane grows louder. As the blades on its top begin circling, a group of young men in sky blue shirts standing nearby step back. There is a roguish gentlemanliness about them. These are students of the East African Civil Aviation Academy (EACAA) in Soroti.
The aeroplane, registration number 5X UAM, taxis on the runway. One of the students is piloting it while the other students look on eagerly. Soon, the small plane becomes a tiny spectacle against the hot midday sun.
Below, EACAA’s director Silver Kaija chats with a young flight instructor about the hazy morning weather, which has prevented the student pilots, aircraft engineers and flight operators from having practical flight lessons.
With an athletic gait, the stout man hurries back to his office. In Kaija’s handshake emerges a man of great character – disciplined, hard working and virtuous.
Seeing Kaija thus, conversing on diverse issues with such insight, it is easy to see that he is widely knowledgeable but hard to know how far he had to go to reach here.
In his mind’s eye, Kaija still sees the nine-year-old boy who ‘dressed a little differently’ one day to go to school with other children from the neighbourhood. That time in 1966, he was in Kampala to help his eldest sister as babysitter.
“I wondered why I couldn’t go to school like other children. When my sister saw me in my best shorts ready for school, she laughed. Among the many reasons she gave, I noted one – I needed money to go to school. The next year, I went back to the village to look for money,†Kaija says.
In Rugombe village in present-day Kyenjojo district, Kaija did odd jobs like working in people’s gardens until he raised the sh3 needed for each school term. “It wasn’t difficult so long as you were ready for any kind of manual work,†he says.
Kaija joined Rwentuka primary school, which had only primary one. The fifth born out of seven children, Kaija was the first to go to school in his family.
“School was not a big deal. Life revolved around the garden,†he says.
Kaija went to Karogoro primary school where he studied from primary two to seven. He completed in 1967 as the only pupil with a first grade and was admitted to St. Leo’s College, Fort Portal for his senior one.
“My parents realised I was serious and began selling goats to pay my fees. But my good performance in primary seven earned me a bursary of sh500 annually for O’ Level. My fees was sh650 so I paid only sh50 each term. Luckily, through God’s grace and hard work, I was always the first in my class,†he says.
In 1977, Kaija joined St. Henry’s College Kitovu, Masaka for Higher School, now A’ level. He completed in 1978.
“In A’ Level, it was the district where you come from that remitted your fees to the school. So Kabarole district paid my fees,†Kaija says.
“My career choice was made because it was Idi Amin’s regime when university graduates were being humiliated. So, I chose aviation. I fancied aviation; it was a perfect opportunity for me to use my hands. I like using my hands,†he says.
After sitting a stringent aptitude test, Kaija was among the 16 students admitted to EACAA in October 1978.
“Coming from a humble home, there was temptation to relax, for life was luxurious. Thankfully, I managed to keep focused unlike many of my colleagues. I graduated as second-best. Because of my conduct, I was retained as an instructor trainee,†he says.
Since qualifying as an aircraft engineer in February 1983, Kaija has not been away from EACAA except for studies. “In aviation, it is hard to hop around jobs. Still, I had opportunities to move and make better money but I had job satisfaction. As I climbed the career ladder, I encountered challenges that kept me hooked.
“The distance from home disturbed me. I had a strong attachment to my village. I always find time to go there to look after my livestock and give my wife a hand in her business. She is the proprietor of Impression One Hotel in Kabale. However, I live a simple life. I find no hardship living in Soroti. In fact, my wife is an Atesot,†he says, winking.
The father of five boys commends government’s efforts in subsidising the aviation fees for Ugandan students by half at EACAA.
“It is only Uganda that subsidises fees for its students despite not having a national airline. If it were not for goodwill and strategic planning, this school would have already been closed. But government recognises that being a landlocked country, we need to develop aviation. Not only airports but also human resource,†he says.
“Even with that, the cost of an aviation course is high. But there is no way we can reduce it. For example, for every hour of flying, we use 100 litres of fuel. Each litre of aviation fuel is $1.5 (sh2,739). We use about sh280,000 per hour. Students have practical flight lessons for at least 90 hours every week,†he says.
EACAA is the only school offering professional pilots’ license training in the East and Central African region. The other schools offer private pilots’ licence training.
The academy has trained students from Kenya, Tanzania, DR Congo, Rwanda, Sudan, South Africa and Germany. Kaija says EACAA has only three aeroplanes for its 120 students. He says there is need to upgrade the academy’s training equipment. “We have turned away many applicants because we don’t have enough aeroplanes. Although the fees are high, parents are sacrificing because aviation pays. In the end it is a good investment. But with the current technology advancement, the laboratory equipment needs to be changed; it was acquired years ago,†he says.
Despite this, the academy has produced graduates who have gone on to the top of the aviation world. “In aviation, being a captain of a big aeroplane is a dream come true. London-based Dairo Air and Kenya Airways are our biggest employers. We have about 10 captains from this academy all over the world,†Kaija says.
Now the 49-year-old Kaija was promoted from a chief ground instructor to the academy’s acting director in 1998. He is yet to be confirmed.
The interruptions seem unavoidable. There is warmth as the staff mill in and out of Kaija’s spacious office. His wooden desk, gleaming with deep brown vanish, is neatly stacked with papers, files and trays.
Kaija has a Master’s degree in Business Administration and qualifications in all the courses offered at EACAA. Had he not driven self, would he have helped fly aeroplanes? Had he not unbridled his future, would he have helped harness the future of our aviators?
Ends