Kiira Motor’s Trans-African Electric Expedition team has returned to Uganda and was officially welcomed home after completing a historic 13,700-kilometre journey across East and Southern Africa, traversing Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, Eswatini, and South Africa.
The journey culminated in a warm reception at Metroplex Naalya, marking the successful return of Africa’s longest electric bus expedition, completed without a single mechanical failure on its maiden trip.
Gracing the homecoming as guest of honour was Gen . Edward Katumba Wamala , Minister of Works and Transport, who commended the team for proving that Ugandan innovation can stand on a global stage. In his remarks, he noted that the expedition’s greatest validation lay in its ability to translate vision into action:
“This journey has shown that when we commit to innovation and work together, we can turn bold ideas into practical solutions that work.”
He applauded the team’s courage to venture into the unknown, return with honour for the country, and deliver meaningful outcomes for Kiira Motors Corporation, while also thanking MTN Uganda for believing in the journey and enabling the team to carry Uganda’s story across borders.
Throughout the expedition, MTN provided critical connectivity to keep the team connected to home, support real-time operations, and enable fleet-tracking solutions that monitored key journey metrics.
Speaking at the homecoming, Ibrahim Senyonga, GM Enterprise Business at MTN Uganda, reaffirmed MTN’s commitment to bold, future-shaping partnerships:
“This expedition was about belief belief in Ugandan capability, Ugandan partnerships, and the power of collaboration to deliver innovation at scale, taking African solutions to the continent and beyond as MTN evolves from a Telco to a Techco.”
He also announced MTN’s new partnership supporting electric transport solutions to and from the airport for MTN AFCON winners, extending the impact of the expedition beyond the road and into everyday mobility.
Representing the Science, Technology and Innovation Secretariat of Uganda leadership, Carthy Muwumuza highlighted that a key objective of the expedition was opening up regional markets for Uganda-made electric buses. She revealed that while the long-term ambition set by the STI leadership was 1,000 buses, Kiira Motors has already secured 450 confirmed and signed contracts, with over 370 additional buses in advanced deal stages, pending final confirmation clear evidence that African innovation can compete and scale within African markets.
Welcoming the team back on behalf of Kiira Motors CEO, Paul Isaac Musasizi, Elias Bwambale who was the , Mission Commander of the expedition, congratulated the crew on reaching the milestone & successfully executing a complex, first-of-its-kind journey that tested & validated Uganda’s electric mobility solutions across multiple countries.
The Trans-African Electric Expedition has proven that Uganda can deliver world-class solutions for Africa & beyond.
