Dr Monica Musenero, Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, has revealed that Uganda’s Kiira Motors Vehicle Plant is set to start the production of electric vehicles in November 2023.
“This is an end-to-end vehicle manufacturing plant that may will bring in steel products and we frame and fabricate most of the parts,” she told plenary last week.
According to her, if orders are made, the plant will be able to produce 20 buses daily.
“Our equipment is arriving for fixing the assembly plant, so the automated lines will be ready for launch in November 2023,” she told MPs.
She added: “The plant will be ready to switch on and the capacity is 20 buses per day. So, if we have orders, we can make 22 buses per day.”
While officiating at the Presidential CEO Forum (PCF)’s two-day 4th Bi-Annual CEO Retreat held at the Kiira Vehicle plant in Jinja, President Museveni pledged that the government would avail Kiira Motors Corporation with Shs40 billion to complete setting up the plant in Jinja.
He also assured that they will support the Corporation by buying buses for government institutions.
On her part, Musenero told the President that Uganda has made tremendous strides as far as the e-mobility industry is concerned.
She said apart from making the first ever electric vehicle in Africa, Uganda is now home to the biggest electric bus production plant in Africa- Kiira Vehicle Plant, which is going to be commissioned before the end of this calendar year.
“Your Excellency, two years ago, I invited you here and you came and laid a foundation stone for the facility and since then we have made very significant progress. I want to thank you and the Ministry of Finance who responded at that time and extended extra funding which has enabled us to push the work. I want to also thank the Prime Minister for the continuous support all the time,” Dr Musenero said.
“We made the first electric vehicle designed and built in Africa- the Kiira EV in 2011 is the first ever electric vehicle built in Africa. Your Excellency, the President became arguably the first-ever head of state recorded to be driven in an Electric vehicle. The first solar-powered designed and built in Africa is the Kayoola Solar bus in 2016 built here in Uganda. The first fully electric bus designed and built in Africa is the Kayoola EVS in 2019,” she added.
