The government has gifted President Yoweri Museveni the latest in a series of the Kayoola Electric Coach buses the first of a kind in East and Central Africa as the country celebrated the 38th NRM Liberation Day anniversary in Jinja city .
At the colourful celebrations which were attended by hundreds of thousands of Ugandans ,the Kayoola Electric 10.5 meter bus the latest series among those produced by Uganda’s Automotive Industry flagship , Kiira Motors Corporation ,(KMC) was testament to the country ‘s tremendous development journey over the years .
A jovial President Museveni who was in the company of the First Lady , Janet Museveni , received the metallic silver grey Executive Kayoola Electric Coach from a team of Kiira Motors scientists led by Dr. Monica Musenero , the Minister of Science Technology and Innovation (STI) in the Office of the Presidency .
Others included, Prof . Sandy Stevens Tickodri- Togboa, the Executive Chairman of KMC, Paul Isaac Musasizi, the CEO KMC, and Major General Sabiti Muzeyi, General Manager , Luwero Industries Ltd.
Other senior government officials who were present to witness the handover included, the Vice President Jessica Alupo, Minister for the Presidency , The Chief Justice , Alfonse Owiny-Dollo, Milly Babalanda and Dr. Joseph Muvawala , the Executive Director of the National Planning Authority –who is also the Prime Minister of Busoga Kingdom ,and Ms. Irene Mugisa the CEO , Presidential CEO Forum.
President Museveni said thus : “ The scientists from Kiira Motors gave me an electric bus which I also promptly gav to the Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo. He will look after it for me. The charger of the bus is from China but soon they will make theirs.”
Museveni added , “ I congratulate our scientists . I want Parliament to support me and we give them more money so that they complete their work.”
The First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of EAC Regional cooperation , Rt. Hon Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga posted on her official twitter (X) handle ,” Lets celebrate HE The President , Cabinet , Prof . Sandy Stevens Tickodri-Togboa Dr. Monica Musenero (heroine of the epidemic and the Kiira team for this achievement .”
The Unique features on this latest Kayoola Electric Coach
The sublime Kayoola 10 m Electric Coach, is a 43-Seater Executive Coach with a top speed of 100 KPH, Range of 280 KM and Battery Energy Storage System(BESS) 281.9 KWH.
It is equipped with USB Charging System per Passenger, Onboard Refrigerator of up 55 bottles of 300 mls, air conditioning system, seat belts for all passengers, onboard infotainment systems including TVs, microphones, radio, among others.
Executives at KMC said that their product mix is very competitive on the market at zero mileage .For instance, with all its unique features and design for the African ragged- terrain one can get this beauty of a bus at Ug. Shs.653 M VAT inclusive.
Amazingly , you only need Ug.Shs.45,710 to power the bus to cover a distance of 100 km.
Executives at KMC led by the STI Minister Dr. Musenero thanked President Museveni for his vision of transforming Uganda through investment in science, technology and innovation.
“The existence of locally produced electric buses today is testament to your visionary leadership and a proof of concept that it is indeed possible to have a thrivingmanufacturing industry and through the whole of Government approach, investment in others industries such as space science and nuclear energy should be fast-tracked,” thy stated .
The value propositionfor Uganda
The motor vehicle business is a multi-billion-dollar industry around the world, with an estimated average annual turnover of about USD 3 trillion, which is 3.65 percent of the world’s GDP. The automotive industry is a major industrial and economic force worldwide. It is expected that over 110 million vehicles will be produced by 2025.
The African automotive market by itself was valued at USD 28.45 Billion in 2020, and it is expected to reach USD 39.87 billion by 2026. In 2017, Africa sold 1.2 million cars and by 2030, that number is expected to rise to 10 million.
