One of the success stories of an investment project that was licensed by the Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) on May 4th 2014 is the manufacturing of buses manufactured by Kiira Motors Corporation.
Government of Uganda, acting through the Uganda Investment Authority, allocated 100 acres for the establishment of the Kiira Vehicle Plant, located at the Jinja Industrial and Business Park, Plot No. 701, Block 2 Kagogwa Village, Mawoito Parish, Kakira Town Council, Jinja District.
Kiira Motors Corporation and National Enterprise Corporation (NEC) later on signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Construction of the Kiira Vehicle Plant Start-Up Facilities (Phase I) at the Jinja Industrial and Business Park.
Five years down the road, the company unveiled the first electric bus at Luweero Industries Limited on November 16, 2019.
Recently the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) organized a study tour and a test drive for the second Kayoola electric bus for the Journalists and members of the Government Communication Forum, comprised of government spokespersons from Kampala to Mutai in Jinja where construction of the manufacturing plant is ongoing.
They were flagged off by the Minister of MOSTI Dr. Elioda Tumwesigye and the Minister of ICT and National Guidance Judith Nabakooba from Lumumba Avenue at the MOSTI headquarters.
According to Kiira Motors Corporation director for product development Eng. Richard Madanda, the bus already covered 410kms from Nakasongola to Kampala and Kampala to Jjinja.
The second bus completed the 200km test and the buses run exclusively on electric batteries and can travel for 300km on a single charge at 80km/hour.
“We have tested all kinds of terrain, all the different kinds of roads in the respective districts, to us this is a success,” he said.
At the moment, the company is building buses at the Luweero Industries Limited in Nakasongola, their temporary home as they wait for the plant in Jinja that is under construction.
Photo of construction
The major structures that include the vehicle parts store and the assembly area have taken shape and the store is already roofed.
“This facility is to make buses but we shall also do contract ASSEMBLING, for example if Toyota wants vehicles, we can assemble them from here instead of importing them because they cannot build a plant in short period,” said the company’s Chief Executive Officer Paul Isaac Musasizii
“We are ready to supply buses for the Kampala bus project and other investors in the country and beyond,” said the company’s Executive Board Chairman Prof. Sandy Tickodri ’ Togboa.