Kiira Motors’ black coupe was test-driven to Kisoro in western Uganda
and back on February 19, covering nearly 1,000km. PHOTO | ERIC BUKENYA
The year 2018 was meant to be a turning point for Uganda. The
country was supposed to release the Kiira EVS, becoming the first in
East and Central Africa to manufacture an electric vehicle for the mass
market.
Thus, there was excitement in Kampala and
Mbarara last week when on Tuesday, the car was test-driven to Kisoro in
the west, and back, covering nearly 1,000km in total.
Wherever
it went, curious members of the public milled around it. Similar scenes
were witnessed in Kampala in January when the car was driven around
town.
But the project that could put Uganda on the
global map of car manufacturers has fallen behind schedule due to
challenges linked to funding and technology. Now the government says the
timelines have been reviewed, with production set for later this year.
The
lack of skills and an elusive search for a reputable vehicle
manufacturing partner have compounded problems of the project, with
three prototypes so far being showcased: The green hatchback mini, a bus
and the latest black coupe, which was test-driven this week.
Kiira
Motors Corporation, the company incorporated to lead Uganda’s leap into
vehicle manufacturing, has the Kayoola solar-powered bus, the Kiira EV
Smack, a hybrid electric vehicle and the fully electric Kiira EV POC as
concept vehicles.
Now, KMC says it plans on “going to the market as a bus builder
and progressively expand the product portfolio to include pick-ups,
light and medium duty trucks and passenger vehicles.
Partner
A
series of meetings with different international car manufacturing
companies have been convened to seek partners for the project.
The
Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology, Elioda Tumwesigye,
confirmed that the government is looking for a partner, but declined to
give details.
“It is confidential, but we are holding
discussions. The issue is that we want vehicles produced from here and
we will do this in collaboration with an international manufacturer,”
said Mr Tumwesigye.
The EastAfrican could not
independently identify the companies government is talking to, but in
May 2016, when former South Korean president Park Geun-hye visited
Uganda, a team from car maker Hyundai held talks with local technocrats
on a possible partnership.
KMC’s business development
manager Allan Muhumuza, confirmed that talks were ongoing, with the aim
of identifying a manufacturer whose supply chain Uganda could harness
while developing local capacity.
“We are talking to
several players. Not just Hyundai, but we are bound by an oath of
secrecy so we cannot talk about it,” he said.
The supply chain will include car parts that the country will not be producing.
Meanwhile,
construction works on a vehicle assembly plant has begun in Jinja, with
only earthworks ongoing. The works are expected to take four years.
Plant
The
Parliamentary Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation, which
visited the site on January 29, described it as, “a bushy place that
should at least have a foundation.”
The Cabinet, in April last year approved Ush149 billion ($40 million) for the plant.
“In
that period, we expect to have a fully-fledged vehicle manufacturing
plant and suppliers for vehicle parts that cannot be produced locally,”
said Mr Tumwesigye.
The facility will have an estimated
annual production capacity of 5,000 units, and is expected to employ
about 14,000 people when full production starts.
“We
have estimates of units that will be produced which make business sense,
and we believe we can achieve those levels by just targeting the
Ugandan market,” the minister added.
Funding
But
Mr Muhuuza said that a delay in releasing funds by the Finance Ministry
and approval of site designs by the Jinja Municipal Council are a
setback.
The site was handed over to the contractor on
January 9 and, according to KMC, only utilities like water and
electricity have been made available.
With no plant in
place, KMC hopes to work on specific orders in “convenient places” —
like their offices in Ntinda in the capital Kampala.
When
The EastAfrican visited the offices, a group of engineers were working
on the new Kiira EVS vehicle that went on the road test drive in
January. The Kayoola solar-powered bus was parked under a shed in the
compound.
The company plans to start producing buses first, which are expected on the roads this year.
Mr
Muhumuza said that the buses are easier to make since their bodies and
other parts can be sourced locally, unlike saloon cars that need more
sophisticated machinery.
“We shall not stop doing the
business development because there is no plant, “ Mr Muhumuza said. “If,
say, a school makes an order for a bus, we shall make it here on these
premises.”
A pilot of the Kayoola buses will offer transport in Kampala and Entebbe.
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