He has been praised over the social media as a skillful pilot, and recently, Quick Talk caught up with him after yet another flight.
Tell me about yourself.
My name is Clive Okoth. I am a captain with Uganda Airlines [There, people! There has been significant debate about his being a ‘captain’ already, at his age. For a pilot to qualify as captain, s/he must have considerable miles in the cockpit under his belt. Okoth has almost 6,000 flying hours – 2,000 of them on a CRJ900 aircraft.]
You are a young captain… how long have you been in this?
Well, I am 37 and I have been flying for the last 12 years. I started off with my training at [the East African Civil Aviation School] Soroti and moved on to [the now defunct] Air Uganda.
I have flown the [McDonnell Douglas] MD-87, the [Bombardier Commercial Regional Jet] CRJ 200 for Air Uganda then I moved on to Nigeria where I flew the CRJ 900 and CRJ 1000 until I came back home to Uganda to fly for Uganda Airlines.
I’m imagining you are the youngest among Uganda Airlines’ captains.
Ah… for now, I am the youngest actually.
Which airline were you working for in Nigeria?
I was working with Arik Air Limited. [With a fleet of 22 planes and flying to destinations in Europe, Arik Air is a bigger airline compared to Uganda Airlines.]
So, what was the motivation for you to leave an established airline for one that is still being put together?
Well, this is my country. I felt like I have a service to give to my nation. I am proud to be Ugandan, and I am proud to work for my country. [Clap, clap, clap. For the record, Uganda Airlines pilots were once billed as some of the very best in the world.]
I have always wondered how it feels flying an aircraft…
It is a beautiful feeling; every day is a different challenge. We face different challenges like different weather and different airports… It is basically a very challenging but exciting job.
Do you ever get a bit nervous knowing that the flight you are operating has some big government people holding a pen that could sign away your job?
Well… aaah! Having the big people on board is a good feeling… we just keep it professional, keep the standard operating procedures, and yeah, it a little bit keeps you on your nerves, because you have to give them the best, but all the same, it is our daily thing; you have to give the clients the best; so, I find it like the daily thing, the normal thing to do.
Are you married, captain?
Yes, I’m married. I am married to a Ugandan lady and we have three children together. We live in Entebbe.
[The chat with Quick Talk was done at the airport, and the youthful captain has to prepare for his next destination, so…moving on!]
sadabkk@observer.ug
