THE WEEK: Entebbe International Airport now ISO certified

Entebbe International Airport now ISO certified

Entebbe International Airport and the Civil Aviation Authority have received the ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management Systems (QMS) certificate making Uganda one of the African countries to have received certification from the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).

ISO 9001:2008 certification means that the country’s  aviation industry has provision of aeronautical services within the Flight Information Region of Uganda to include regulation, licensing, air navigation services, search and rescue certification of air operators, operation and maintenance of aerodromes, security,  and corporate support services.

CAA Director of Airports and Aviation Security John Kagoro said the certification will, among other things, boost the national airport business, increase passenger traffic loyalty, build internal confidence, and ensure proper documentation at the airport.  Other African countries that have received UKAS certification includes Ghana and Tanzania.

Eskom trains engineers for Karuma and Isimba Dams

Eskom Uganda has passed out 25 graduate engineers who will operate at the Karuma and Isimba Dams. The prospective engineers underwent three months training in hydro power generation engineering at Nalubaale hydro power station.

The trainees were seconded by the Uganda Electricity Generation Company Limited which is the government implementing agency for the flagship hydro power projects of Karuma and Isimba Dams. These two projects are scheduled for commissioning in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

Eskom Uganda Managing Director Thozama Gangi said the company’s top priorities is to transfer critical skills to Ugandans for the growth of the energy sector in the country.

“In line with government’s focus on Skilling the youth, Eskom is already making a contribution towards taking Uganda to a middle income economy by 2020” She said.

Since the Eskom entered Uganda in 2003, about 390 Ugandan graduate trainees have been absorbed by Eskom to gain hands on experience in hydro generation engineering.

Kenya backtracks on Emirates third flight out of Nairobi

Kenyan authorities have withdrawn their approval for Dubai-based Emirates Airline to operate a third daily flight from Dubai to Nairobi. This comes barely a week after the carrier announced the service.

In a statement issued on January 26, the airline confirmed that “the approval granted to operate a third daily flight between Dubai and Nairobi has been withdrawn by the Kenyan transport authorities.” No reason was given for the withdrawal.

Emirates announced the third daily flight to Nairobi on January 19, with the service due to start from June 1.

Kenyan paper The Star reported that the airline was informed of the decision on January 20 in a letter from Irungu Nyakera, principal secretary at the Transport Ministry.

The paper said the decision was taken following informal discussions between the authorities in Kenya and the United Arab Emirates, and that Kenya now intends to review the bilateral air service agreement between the two countries.

Uber unveils upfront fare charges for customers in Kenya

Following introduction of upfront fare charges for customers globally  in October last year, taxi-hailing firm, Uber has unveiled the same service in Kenya, allowing riders to budget and pay for trips beforehand.

Uber says the charges will be calculated using the trip’s expected time, distance, and take into consideration the traffic situation and availability of drivers at the time of request.  This means that customers will now be able to know the exact fare of a trip before the beginning of a journey by entering pick-up and drop-off locations.

Initially, Pewin taxi was the only e-hailing firm in Kenya that had a function allowing riders to know the exact fare at the beginning of the journey. Pewin Cabs’ Dandia e-hailing application launched last October has specific charges between destinations.

CCCC Donates SOS Children’s Village

China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) Uganda, has donated a variety of basic needs to SOS Children’s Village in Entebbe Municipality, in an effort to improve the welfare of up to 900 children at the location.

The items which include; assorted food stuff, mattresses, mosquito nets and scholastic materials were handed over by CCCC to SOS Children’s Village in Abayita Ababiri.

Joseph Zheng Biao, the acting Manager for CCCC Uganda said the company offered support to the children as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme.

“At CCCC, our mission is to build a connected world, by constructing world-class transport infrastructure including; roads, railways, and bridges,” he said. “This mission, however, cannot be complete without society and people.”

Apenya Louis, the program director at SOS Children’s Village Entebbe, commended CCCC Uganda for the good gesture extended to the children.

SOS Children’s Village runs two programs namely; Family Based Care (FBC) for 152 children who are without parental care and Family Strengthening Program (FSP) for 748 children at the risk of losing parental care.