This archive report was first published on 26 November 2019.
Uganda is on the cusp of a major breakthrough in domestic vehicle manufacturing, with the Kiira Motors Corporation (KMC) making significant strides in the production of electric buses.
On October 30, technicians at KMC began assembling the Kayoola Electric Bus, which was shipped in as a semi-knocked down unit. The project is expected to be completed by the end of December.
The bus's components were supplied by KMC's technology transfer partner, CHTC Motors of China. The partnership has enabled the transfer of technology and intellectual property to Uganda, with KMC owning a significant chunk of the intellectual property in the vehicle and its systems integration.
According to KMC's chief executive, Isaac Paul Musasizi, the data collected during the trial runs of the two electric buses in Kampala will be used to develop a business model for rolling out locally assembled electric commuter buses in Kampala and other urban centers.
Three charging stations, which can recharge the electric batteries in under two hours, have been completed and will be transferred to Kampala and Entebbe. Once technical tests are complete, the buses will be deployed for a road test with passengers on the 40km Kampala-Entebbe route.
Construction of the final assembly plant is underway in Jinja, 80 kilometers east of Kampala. Production is expected to be moved to Jinja in June 2021.
