Assessment of the transport management systems for National Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Council of Zimbabwe Global Fund Round 8 grant sub-recipients and implementing partners, 2014.

INTRODUCTION: during a Global Fund sub-sub recipients (SSRs) and implementing partners (IPs) review meeting for quarter 14 held in September 2013, several reports on mismanagement of vehicles were reported. We were then prompted to assess the transport management systems for the SSRs and IPs.
METHODS: we conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study. The study participants were managers, drivers and other personnel involved in transport management. We also assessed the conditions of the vehicles. Data were collected using a questionnaire and checklist.
RESULTS: we interviewed ten participants, seven from the IPs and three from the SSRs. Understanding and knowledge on the contents of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which accompanied the vehicles were low. Six out of the ten organisations had operational vehicle policies but had shallow content. Eighteen (18) vehicles were assessed, 16 runners and two non-runners. Fifteen (15/18) of the vehicles did not have valid Zimbabwe National Authority for Road Administration (ZINARA) license discs. Only one (1/18) vehicle had a valid Zimbabwe Broadcasting Cooperation (ZBC) license disc. Of the 18 vehicles, 12 were insured with comprehensive insurance cover. Seven (7/18) of the vehicles were once involved in an accident. All the vehicles were serviced on a quarterly basis. Six (6/18) vehicles had both records of monthly service expenses and fuel returns. All the vehicles had logbooks, but only 8/18 of them were carbonated. Some sections of logbooks were incomplete.
CONCLUSION: the transport management systems for the IPs and SSRs were below standard. We recommended the training and capacity building of IPs and SSRs in transport management. Copyright: Richard Makurumidze et al.