President Yoweri Museveni has said that government has got investors who are interested in swapping fuel engine boda bodas with electric motorcycles to mitigate the effects of the high fuel prices and also reduce pollution in Kampala city and other urban centers .
In his new address to the nation , Museveni said that boda bodas will be encouraged to swap their fuel powered motorbikes with electric ones free of charge . ” In the process the boda boda owners will save up to 50% of the cost ,” President Museveni stated adding that the investors will recover their investment by operating the charging infrastructure .
President reiterated that Uganda is now set to transition from fossil fuels to E-mobility to reduce pollution and offer an organized -cheap transport solution for Kampala city and other urban centers. He said that Uganda ‘s automakers led by Kiira Motors Corporation (KMC) will produce and supply electric buses to decongest the city .
Officials at Kiira Motors said the company is set to produce more buses – the Kayoola EVs- fully electric buses in the new year 2023. ” We welcome the president’s intervention and we are ready to supply electric buses in a concerted effort to promote green mobility solutions in Uganda and East Africa region ,” KMC company executives stated .
Ugandan transport companies are already adopting to E- mobility even when there are still challenges of lack of adequate charging infrastructure in the country . Already , Kalita Bus Company are using the Kayoola electric buses to transport people in Kampala city .
Industry experts say that the E- mobility transition is already happening . During the previous decade, the total number of electric passenger cars on the world’s roads grew from just about 17,000 in 2010 to about 7.2 million in 2019, of which 67 percent were fully electric. This decade will become extremely important as EVs become commonplace and achieve a significant market share by 2030.
Whereas the 2010s were just the beginning, the 2020s will bring the final breakthrough.
