Kampala – Annually, the government of Uganda through the Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation (MoSTI) which now operates under the Office of the President holds the national science week, to showcase strides Uganda has made in the science, technology and innovation (STI) sector.
Interestingly, this year’s theme for the national science week, “Uganda Tusimbudde: Our science-led journey towards socio-economic transformation,” couldn’t have been any better at a time when the country attempts to commence full scale production of electric buses christened the Kayoola EVS.
Tusimbudde, is a Luganda word loosely meaning we have set off! But the question we should be asking is whether there is value for money vis avi the multi-billion investment made by government to have electric buses and cars replace fossil fuel-powered buses especially in the public transport domain?
Speaking at the launch of the national science week Wednesday in Kampala, MoSTI Minister Dr. Monica Musenero made a shocking revelation that there are only four electric buses that have been manufactured by Kiira Motors Vehicle Plant since 2019. The Plant currently operates from Nakasongola district industrial park as it awaits the completion of construction works at the Jinja site.
The revelation literally means that the country has been able to manufacture one bus per year since commencement in 2019. Meanwhile there are also five diesel-engine powered buses on Kampala roads that were manufactured on order for private bus company Tondeka Buses at an unidentified cost.
A source privy with the matter from the STI secretariat who spoke on grounds of anonymity said that Kiira Motors is only a manufacturer but not an operator of the electric buses in Uganda and the wider East African Community.
The source also noted that the company hasn’t started manufacturing electric cars, explaining that the ones which were made like the Sedan EV and other hybrid cars made are only concept cars for research purposes and can’t be driven on roads frequently at the moment like other fuel-powered cars. Additionally, there are over 1,000 electric motorcycles already on Ugandan roads with over 50 swapping stations for batteries.
However, these are being manufactured locally by private sector investors though government has plans do the same in the future according to Minister Musenero.
Concerning the construction progress of Kiira Motors Vehicles Plant in Jinja, the Minister noted that currently they are installing the production lines and commissioning of the plant will be done before the end of 2023 to start manufacturing buses for both local, regional and the African continent as a whole.
When contacted for a comment about the amount of money so far spent on the manufacture of the nine buses on the market Ms Ruth Nasejje, the spokesperson Kiira Motors was hesitant about the subject matter, and told this publication to put the question in writing in the form of an official email as per company policy in order to get a candid response.
According to information extracted from the Kiira Motors website, the Kayoola EVS is a fully electric low floor bus specifically designed for urban mass transportation. At full charge, the Kayoola EVS has a range of up to 300 kilometers making it capable of seamlessly handling the daily duty cycle. With a sitting capacity of up to 90 passengers, the Kayoola EVS is positioned to offer great returns for the bus operator while enabling the reduction in congestion on the city roads.
The Kayoola EVS is fitted with state-of-the-art safety and assistive technology for people with special needs including special seats and a ramp for easy boarding and off boarding of people in wheelchairs.
The Kayoola EVS is premised to facilitate a total sustainable mass mobility solution for urban centers in sub-Saharan Africa.