Growing up in the US, Americans and nearly 75% of the world are accustomed to driving on the right side of the road. And unless you're driving a very old classic or sports car, chances are you are among the 96% of Americans who drive an automatic transmission vehicle. Anyone can easily adjust to drive automatic, but not everyone can adjust to drive manual, which is why Americans should be taught how to drive manual transmission in driving school. Therefore, I figured if I was going to learn, what better place than in Malawi where the majority of vehicles are manual transmission. I had been informed that a personal vehicle would be much more convenient to have in order to get around given public transportation options are limited and can pose safety concerns at times. Even in the largest city of Lilongwe, the town is quite spread out and getting from place to place can take a long time due to limited routes and traffic that builds up during rush hour and lunch time. Given the sub-tropical climate of Malawi, walking and riding a bicycle are also options to get around, but there are little to no sidewalks or biking lanes, posing a safety risk alongside the cars on the road.
Buying my first car
After moving into my apartment, I realized the next priority would be to purchase a vehicle that could get me around for the 1.5 years that I would be residing in Malawi. I was informed by friends and colleagues to look for a Toyota Rav-4 ideally and a car with high clearance and 4-wheel drive that is duty-paid. They mentioned that the parts for other vehicles are sometimes hard to come by and Toyotas are pretty durable and affordable. If I wanted to drive outside of town in the rural parts of the country or go off-roading, it would otherwise be very difficult to get far during the rainy season when dirt roads may be particularly damaged, muddy, and flooded. In fact, only about 30% of all the roads in Malawi are paved.
Most cars in Malawi are imported from Japan. However, with that, it is important to be aware of the import taxes that come with the purchase. You can either have a vehicle be Duty Unpaid, which is an international trade term meaning the seller is responsible for ensuring goods arrive safely to a destination; the buyer is responsible for import duties. By contrast, Duty Paid indicates that the seller must cover duties, import clearance, and any taxes. Oftentimes, the duty is very expensive and can even cost more than the car itself, so it is always best to find a duty-paid vehicle, if possible.
Driving conditions during the rainy season
I managed to find a person selling a Toyota Rav-4 with manual transmission from a Facebook group. He even offered to give me two free test rides and teach me how to drive stick before deciding whether to purchase the car or not. However, after the first drive, I realized the car had a couple major issues with it and the seller was asking for a bit too much. Fortunately, there happened to be an American woman who was returning back to the states and trying to get rid of her car. It was an older 1997 Toyota Rav-4 as well, with an automatic transmission, new battery and tires with about 200,000 km on it. I was completely shocked and jumped on the purchase as soon as she said that she would sell me the car for $1,000. I definitely couldn't get a better deal than that as most cars of the similar make were going for several thousand dollars. As much as I wanted a manual transmission vehicle, I wasn't going to pass up this offer. To date, the car has not presented any major challenges. In fact, the only issues I've had were several flat tires and it was not until nine months after purchasing the car that I somehow managed to get a nail stuck in each of the four tires on separate occasions within a span of just seven weeks. Luckily, the punctures were very cheap and easy to fix.
My 1997 Toyota Rav-4
Driving conditions in Malawi
While Malawi has a total population of about 20 million, nearly 70% is living below the international poverty line of $1.90 per day. The country is not very densely populated with the majority residing in rural areas. According to data from the World Bank, in 2018, only about 4% of Malawians had access to a passenger vehicle. Vehicle ownership is therefore a privilege for many. Interestingly enough, motor vehicle deaths are among the leading causes of death in Malawi and climbing, which is alarming considering the relatively low motorization rate compared to other countries. Drunk driving is a common root cause of these accidents, which has resulted in the government increasing the number of road traffic stops and road safety campaigns. In Malawi, drunk driving comes with penalties ranging from MWK20,000 (~$20) for drivers with at most 0.1g/210ml to MWK200,000 (~$200) or three years in prison for drivers found drunk above 0.2g/210ml on the breathalyzer.
As previously mentioned, many people can be found during the day and night walking alongside the road to get around. While during the day you can typically see everything clearly, it can be a different story at night. There are few street lights in most of the country, so you must rely on your high beams to see what is in front of you. Oftentimes, there will be people walking in the dark on the sides of the road in dark clothing, so you must be very vigilant and alert to make sure you don't hit them. Other drivers may not turn their high beams off when approaching you or they may swerve to avoid the countless potholes, which can put you at risk for an accident. On the topic of potholes, that is one of the biggest road condition issues in Malawi as they can range in size and severity and are found all throughout the country. Typically, they tend to get worse and more abundant the further you go out of town, but they can pose severe issues to the car and result in cars "dancing around" from one side of the road to the other in order to avoid hitting them.
Driving the flooded dirt roads
Not only are there people to avoid hitting, but there are also animals such as cows, goats, and chickens to avoid colliding with, especially in the rural areas. For many, livestock are a source of capital and represent peoples' livelihood. It is common to see a herd of cattle or goats walking along the road, but if you happen to hit and kill one, you will likely be required to purchase another animal to replace the deceased one. Generally, the animals are easy to avoid hitting, but sometimes the chickens will wait until the last second to burst out running across the street in front of your car as if they are suicidal. I have not hit any yet, but there certainly have been some close calls.
A herd of cows blocking the road
Interesting rules
There are some interesting road traffic rules in Malawi to say the least. For one, if the turn signals of your car are not working, that does not mean your car is not fit to drive, you merely have to indicate turning left/right by certain hand gestures out of your window. If you reverse in your vehicle and someone bumps into your car, it is not their fault even if the other car was driving recklessly, drunken, or any other reason. Therefore, it is advised not to reverse unless you are 100% clear. Additionally, should someone jump into your car and molest you, and you are unable to move off, it is advised to bump your vehicle into the vehicle nearest so as to attract attention of other motorists or on-lookers. Therefore, it is recommended to keep your doors locked while driving. There are just a small handful of stoplights posted around town and the country. While it is advised to stop when the light is red and drive when the light is green, many motorists will just carry on as if there is no stoplight present. On the other hand, most stoplights are usually not functioning properly.
There are not many road names or specific addresses for buildings and homes, so most people just use reference points or landmarks to get around or geocoordinates in some cases. Google maps is available, but is only about 60-70% accurate and depending on where you're going may take about double the projected time to reach your destination due to the poor road conditions, especially during the rainy season. Although it is changing, given the layout and infrastructure of the road network in the country, Malawians don't typically use maps or cardinal points when providing or receiving directions.
Fuel crisis
Obtaining a consistent supply of fuel has been a continuous worry for many motorists in Malawi for years. This past October may have been one of the worst fuel shortages in the country's history. For several weeks, motorists across the country were queued up for hours on end (7-10 hours) in hopes of securing enough fuel to fill their tanks. There was one Friday evening where I packed some food and waited in queue overnight from 10 PM until 6 AM only to find out the pump ran dry. After that experience, I found a contact who I paid to wait in queue and fill my tank while I was at work and return the car to me afterwards. This became an in-demand business overnight and a new source of income for several weeks as a result of the crisis.
Traffic build up as a result of the long queues
There was a diesel shortage followed by a petrol shortage and so on. In some cases, motorists purchased fuel smuggled in from neighboring Mozambique at a premium or black-market fuel that posed a risk to the car given the quality of the fuel. The scarcity of the fuel in Malawi was largely due to a shortage of foreign exchange (Forex), usually US dollars. Malawi obtains most of its forex earnings from tobacco, however the earnings have steadily dropped over the years. While the government managed to finally ease the problem in the short-term by tapping heavily into it's national reserves and taking out loans, a sustainable long-term solution is necessary to increase the export base to curb the shortage of forex. Every now and then we still see long queues build up outside filling stations, which raises anxiety that the next major fuel crisis is just around the corner.
The beauty that lies ahead
Driving in Malawi has been an adventure and a unique way to see so much of the beautiful landscape of the country. From coasting along Lake Malawi to zigzagging down the mountainside of Dedza to wildlife roaming free, you can experience it all. For in Malawi, the roads may be rough, but the journey itself, is more than enough.
