A Certified Petrol Head. Cars are my obsession. Sourcing and Importing them is my craft.
Kampala, Uganda
Joined April 2025
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Always ask your agent one question before your car leaves Japan. Is it going on a ship or in a container?
Most people never ask and most agents never volunteer it. They find out at Mombasa, which is far too late to change anything. Here is the difference.
RoRo means roll on, roll off. Your car is driven onto the ship and parked on a deck with hundreds of others. Think of a floating car park that crosses an ocean. It is cheaper and easier to book, usually somewhere around 800 to 1500USD depending on the car.
But your car is out in the open for the whole trip. Salt air, dust and humidity get to it. It sits parked very tightly, so knocks and scrapes sometimes happen. Several different workers drive it and move it. And here is the part almost nobody knows. The car is not locked during the crossing because staff need to be able to move it. That is exactly why anything left inside can disappear, and why some items are not even allowed in a RoRo shipment.
If your car sits low or has a body kit, it can also scrape on those steep loading ramps when port drivers are moving quickly.
A container is a sealed steel box. The car is loaded, strapped down, the doors are closed and nobody touches it again until Mombasa. No salt spray. No strangers. No scrapes. It costs more, usually around 2,500 to 5,000 USD, but you can share a container with other importers and split that cost.
But to be honest, there's one downside. A container has to go to a special yard at Mombasa and be unsealed and unloaded with your agent and customs watching. That adds a step. RoRo cars are simply driven straight to the car yards. So the container is safer but it can be a little slower to clear.
So the rule I give my clients is simple.
For an everyday Vitz, a Subaru, or a Harrier, RoRo makes complete sense. Save the money.
For anything rare, expensive, freshly restored or anything you would cry over, pay for the container.
And whichever one you pick, pick it on purpose. Ask your agent before the car ships, not after it lands. Save this for when you do...
Which way did your last car come and did anyone actually tell you? Tell me below...
Late is better than never. A Maybach at 60 means he did the hard years first.
Some men buy the Maybach at 30 and spend the next 30 years paying for it.
Your father did it the other way round.
The long game wins again. Hope he enjoys every kilometre of it.
ebrah · PHP retweeted
Good question, Sir. If Money is a concern then the NX usually costs more than a Harrier of the same year. In Japan, a used NX 200t sits roughly 25 to 30% above a comparable Harrier.
Engine and fuel: Both are 2.0 litre petrols. The Harrier makes about 150hp and gives roughly 10 to 13 km/l on our roads. The NX 200t is turbocharged, making about 235hp, so it's quicker and more fun to drive though it prefers premium fuel (V Power). So the NX slightly costs more to buy and more to fuel.
Harrier is the sensible choice to many but to enthusiasts like me the NX is the nicer one. If AWD matters, check that the Harrier you're buying actually has it, because most don't…
Leaving the Subaru nation for a front wheel drive Harrier is a brave move, Doc.
I think you should have looked at the Lexus NX first. Same Toyota family but with a more premium feel with AWD and a turbo engine on offer. You get the comfort without losing the grip you were used to in the subie.
The Harrier is still a good car, but you could have made a more interesting upgrade
Filming a TikTok while driving is the only crime where you record the evidence yourself and hand it to the police for free.
@PoliceUg have said they're going after content creators who film while driving.
And this isn't even a new law. Since 2004, holding and using a phone while driving has been an offence. You can be fined up to 200K, jailed for up to a year or both.
We've actually seen this happen before. Two years ago, a bus driver was filmed using his phone while driving on the Kampala to Fort Portal road. The video went viral and he was arrested that same day.
Now think about what happens when you do it yourself. Your face is in the video. People can even recognise the road you're on. And you've posted the whole thing on an account that has your name.
You have basically given them everything they need.
But forget the police for a minute. What happens when you're busy checking your camera angle and a boda suddenly cuts in front of you? Or a child crosses the road and you don't notice?
That's the part people should be worried about.
Of the 5,383 people killed on Ugandan roads last year, more than half were under 35. That is the same age as most of the people filming.
So just pull over if you want to make your video. Better still, let your passenger handle the camera. A TikTok isn't worth an accident...
The LC200, for a long journey, give me comfort, reliability, a proper V8 and the confidence to keep going when the tarmac ends.
The Defender is tempting, but I’m not turning a road trip into a relationship with my mechanic🤓
And it's worse when the car is parked facing a wall, in a garage or near a tall fence, because the fumes bounce back and find their way inside the car instead of blowing away.
A rusty or leaking exhaust makes it far more likely too. That's why some cars kill and others don't…
People are dying in their sleep inside cars with the AC running, and the scary part is that the AC isn't what kills them.
It's carbon monoxide poisoning from exhaust fumes, the gas is colourless and odourless, so you may never realise you're breathing it.
Never sleep in a parked car with the engine running, your comfort could cost you your life...
503 km/h in an electric chinese car.
A few years ago, people were laughing at Chinese cars. I wonder what they’re saying now.
And some are still even arguing that Chinese cars can’t compete with German engineering.
At this point, the Germans need to stop laughing and start paying attention. The competition is getting serious…
A new world record for the YANGWANG U9 Xtreme. 503.17km/h.
YANGWANG U9 Xtreme has done the impossible, surpassing 500km/h to set a new world speed record in Abu Dhabi. Four Guinness World Records. FIA-recognised. All-electric.
The fastest production car on the planet just got faster.
#YANGWANG #U9Xtreme #WorldRecord
Kenya has just ordered two drivers on every long-distance bus trip.
Funny thing is, Uganda already has this rule. We introduced it in August.
Following the bus crashes in July, the Ministry of Works said buses travelling more than 450km must have two accredited drivers. Routes above 300km also require a fresh driver for the return journey. Long-distance buses are also supposed to stop between 10pm and 6am.
So technically, we are ahead of Kenya on paper.
But here is something worth pointing out. Kenya actually introduced its two-driver requirement for night buses back in 2014. The difference is that they are now pushing enforcement.
And honestly, that is where I have questions about Uganda.
Some of us know what a Kampala to Nairobi overnight journey feels like at 2am. Everyone is asleep, the road is dark and you're there wondering how the person behind the wheel is still managing to keep their eyes open.
We can keep introducing new transport rules, but are the existing ones even being followed?
If you've travelled on a long-distance bus recently, did you actually see a second driver? And did the bus stop at 10pm as required?
ebrah · PHP retweeted
It solves the blockage problem. No filter means nothing to clog, so no failed cleaning cycles and no extra fuel leaking into your oil. That's why people who do it say their stress ended. What it doesn't solve is the damage already done and it strips out the emissions system the car was built with. Soot now goes straight out the exhaust. So it's a trade. You buy reliability and give up the clean part. Works for the owner, not great for everyone breathing behind you
35M for a CX-5 diesel will move fast and that's exactly the problem.
Most people will just see the price, not the engine. That 2.2 diesel has a dpf filter that only cleans itself on long hot drives. Sitting in Kampala traffic every day, it clogs and when it does it takes the oil pump and other parts with it. Our poor quality high sulfur diesel speeds that up.
Great car for someone doing regular highway runs. Painful for someone doing short runs in town...
ebrah · PHP retweeted
Performance marketing. Learn how to run Meta and Google ads, write copy that converts and track actual sales. Businesses don’t just need people who can post pretty graphics. They need people who can bring customers through the door. If you can consistently turn an advertising budget into revenue, you can charge good money for that skill…
ebrah · PHP retweeted
Buying land without a plan is one of the easiest ways to tie up money for years. You own an asset worth millions, but it can't even pay your rent, school fees or even its own maintenance.
Land is good but cash flow is better…
The Mombasa to Nairobi highway is one of the busiest and most dangerous roads in East Africa. And honestly, your imported car has probably survived worse things on that highway than it will ever face on Kampala roads.
Kenya Railways has now introduced a car freight service on the SGR, moving vehicles from Mombasa to Nairobi in about 8 hours.
The first train carried 24 cars. One Kenyan dealer is already planning to move 700 cars a month. And apparently, Kenya Railways also wants to bring Ugandan importers on board.
This could actually be a good thing for us. Less time on the highway means less exposure to stone chips, dust, reckless overtaking and drivers who handle imported cars like they stole them.
There's just one problem. The train currently stops in Nairobi. The SGR hasn't reached the Ugandan border and our Malaba to Kampala line isn't operational yet. So the final leg still has to be done by road.
We also don't know how much Kenya Railways intends to charge.
Still, if the numbers make sense, I'd rather have my imported car spend 8 hours on a train than the entire journey on that highway.
Train to Nairobi or the usual car carrier? What would you choose?
Yesterday's podium in Mexico got me thinking. What a strange turn of events in Formula 1.
Max Verstappen won the race. Lewis Hamilton finished second. And Kimi Antonelli, the young man who took Hamilton's seat at Mercedes, finished third.
Funny how things work out.
Hamilton has 7 world titles and spent years being the man everyone wanted to beat. Two seasons ago, people were questioning whether Antonelli was ready to replace him.
Now, at just 20 years, Antonelli is the youngest world champion F1 has ever had. Vettel was 23 when he set the previous record. Italy has also waited 73 years for another world champion.
A lot of people thought Hamilton's seat would be too much for this kid.
Looks like he was ready after all.
Who did you think would win the title back in March?
ebrah · PHP retweeted
This is one of the most important posts about African car markets right now, and you explained it perfectly.
You are right. Toyota did not earn that trust by marketing. It earned it by surviving. A 2008 Premio still running in Kampala in 2026 after 18 years of potholes, murram roads, bad fuel, and abuse is not luck. That is what those 4 to 5 years of development and testing were for.
Japan used to over-engineer. They tested the car in heat, in cold, in dust, on bad fuel, for millions of kilometres, before they sold it. That is why a 15 year old Toyota can still come to Nigeria or Uganda and do another 10 years.
China changed the game. They can develop a car in less than 2 years because they use more shared platforms, more software simulation, more off the shelf parts, and they move fast. And to be fair, some of them are genuinely good now. BYD, Chery, Geely, Jetour, those cars feel modern, they have better screens, better features, and better price than a Japanese car of the same year.
But your worry is the exact worry we have in Nigeria too.
We are not buying brand new cars. We are buying cars that are already 8 to 15 years old from the bond. So the real test is not how the car feels in year 1. The real test is how it feels in year 12, in 2035, when it is in Kampala or Lagos, with no warranty, with a local mechanic, and with parts that must be available in Kisekka or Ladipo.
That is where fast development becomes risky.
One, fewer parts sounds good for repairs, like Nissan is doing, but if those few parts are electronic and only available from the dealer, a small fault can ground the car for months.
Two, fast development means less long term testing on bad fuel and bad roads. A car that passes a lab test in China may not survive our fuel quality and our heat for 10 years.
Three, parts availability. Toyota parts are everywhere because Toyota has been here for 40 years. A Chinese brand that is new today may not have that network in 2035. If the brand leaves the market, the car becomes an orphan.
So to answer your question directly. If I am buying today with my own money in Uganda or Nigeria, and I need a car to last me 10 years with low stress, I will still pick the older Japanese model with proven reliability. A 2015 Premio, Corolla, RAV4, or Harrier over a brand new fast-built car.
If I am buying a car to use for 3 to 4 years, enjoy the tech, and sell it while it still has warranty, then the newer Chinese car makes sense. It gives you more value for the money in the short term.
The danger is Japan copying China too fast and losing what made Japan special. If Nissan cuts development from 4 years to 3 years, and Suzuki wants 2 years by 2030, they must not cut the durability testing. That is the part that matters for us.
Speed is good for business. Durability is good for Africa.
ebrah · PHP retweeted
The Chinese reuse a lot of components across models. So you realize only few things change with each new model and that makes the time short. Japanese are learning the same and I don't think that affects the quality of the car.
ebrah · PHP retweeted
Good morning boss.
My feeling is that Japan as a country wudn't risk doing short-cuts & risking their reputation & market given how crucial auto industry is to it's economy! It wud be disaster. So I guess that they wil compete but with quality at the back of their mind...
Japanese carmakers take about 4 to 5 years to develop a new model. Some Chinese brands can do it in less than 2. And now Japan is feeling the pressure.
Nissan says it has cut development time from around 4 years to 3. Its new Skyline took just 26 months. Suzuki wants to get down to 2 years by 2030. Honda is also looking to cut development time and costs by half.
They're not even pretending anymore. They're borrowing ideas from the Chinese.
And this is something worth watching, especially as Ugandans.
Why do people here trust Toyota so much? Look at how many 2008 Premios are still running around Kampala in 2026. 18 years of potholes, murram roads, questionable fuel and all sorts of abuse, yet some of these cars are still going strong.
That reputation wasn't built overnight. Those extra years of development and testing played a part.
But things are changing. Chinese brands have come a long way and some of their cars are genuinely good. Nissan's push to use fewer parts could also make repairs simpler.
My only concern is what happens years down the road.
Most of us in Uganda aren't buying brand new cars. We're buying cars that are already 8 to 15 years old from the bond.
So a car developed in two years today could be sitting in a Ugandan driveway around 2035.
By then, we'll know whether it was actually built to last.
Because it's one thing to build a car quickly. It's another thing for it to survive our roads, our fuel and still have parts available in Kisekka.
So, would you rather buy a newer car built using these faster methods or an older Japanese model with years of proven reliability?