Kiira Motors Will Deliver World Class Vehicles Plant says PS David O.O.Obong

By Moses Sserwanga

The Permanent Secretary Ministry of Science, Technology  and Innovation , Mr. David O.O Obong has expressed confidence that Kiira Motors Ltd will deliver a world class vehicles production plant at the Jinja industrial and business park .

" I'm confident that the talented team at Kiira Motors in partnership with the UPDF Engineering Brigade under National Enterprise Corporation (NEC) and other consultants on the project will  prove wrong- the doubting thomases .

I cherish team work and together we are going to deliver to the Ugandan people one of the best car production plants.  Kiira Motors and NEC have developed capabilities to put in place a good facility. To make history and I want to be part of that success story,”  Obong , a seasoned technocrat who said he doesn’t associate himself with fail ,stressed.

The Permanent Secretary was on Friday inspecting the on going construction works at the multi billion facility the first of its kind in Uganda .  At the site in Kagogwe, Mutai , Jinja district , he was joined by the Kiira Motors, Executive Chairman Prof. Sandy Stevens Tickodri-Togboa ,the Chief Executive Officer , Mr. Paul Isaac Musasizi, General Manager NEC, Mr. Brian Buhanda and Dr. Kariko Buhwezi , the CEO Technology Consults Ltd- the firm that is supervising the on going works.

Obong said that the Kiira Vehicles Plant is one of the key projects of great  national importance that the Ministry of Science ,Technology and Innovation is implementing and it should be given support by all Ugandans.  Over ,300 people are to be employed from the local communities during  implementation of the project .

Last year government approved the feasibility study for setting up the Kiira Vehicle Plant and approved a seed fund of UGX 143.7 Billion for its implementation across a four year period. So far ,UGX 24 Billion was approved for the  financial year  2018/19 under the Ministry of Science ,Technology and Innovation  budget.

Progress of on going works

While giving a brief about the progress of the on going works at the Plant’s site ,Mr. Paul Isaac

Musasizi, the Kiira Motors CEO, informed the PS that the construction and installation of a

3.7km long 33kv electricity line connecting the Kiira Vehicle Plant Site to the national

electricity grid is completed together with the  construction and installation of a 5.4km long 6-

inch water pipeline connecting the plant site to the municipal water supply line .

 

Musasizi further explained that  detailed design specifications and bills of quantities for the Kiira Vehicle Plant start up facilities with the initial installed capacity of 5,000 vehicles per year were developed and approved by relevant authorities. The Startup facilities at the plant will  include the assembly shop, office block, circulation roads, power and water distribution systems, waste management facilities, fence and gate facilities, drainage system and key vehicle test tracks.

Kiira Motors in January 2019, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the UPDF ‘s  

National Enterprise Corporation (NEC), to  provide a framework for the construction of the

Kiira Vehicle Plant Start-Up facilities at the plant site . The agreement is  based on the Force

Account Mechanism provided for under Section 95 (A) of the Public Procurement Disposal of

Assets (PPDA)  Act, 2003 (as amended).

What it means

In legal terms , the force account mechanism is a means of undertaking works of a Procuring and

Disposing Entity using the personnel and equipment of the Procuring and Disposing Entity of

another procuring and disposing Entity. In other words  tt is not a method of procurement but

a method of executing works.

Construction works started  in February 2019 and is scheduled to be completed by June

2021. ;Security has been deployed on site by the Uganda Police working closely with the UPDF.

Kiira Motors has also signed a contract with Free Construction Ltd, to open up key roads at

Kiira Vehicle Plant Site which will include  a dual carriage principal road - 2.44km long and

classified Road – 350m long).

The writer is a communication and media consultant/trainer and Advocate of the High

Court.

msserwanga@gmail.com

SCIENCE AND INNOVATION WILL TRANSFORM AFRICA-MUSEVENI

 By Moses Sserwanga

Kiira Motors Ltd-Uganda’s flagship for the automotive industry which is exhibiting its Kiira EVS hybrid vehicle also known as the “Beast” at the on going Africa Now conference  , has registered regional and continental acclaim for its innovations and championing green mobility technologies in Africa.

Several local and international dignitaries are flocking the new Kiira EVS vehicle with Kiira Motors taking center stage at the continental event where ground breaking innovations that will take Africa to the next level are currently on display .

The two day event  held at Mununyo Commonwealth Resort and Conference Center is co-hosted by Uganda ‘s President  Yoweri Museveni who delivered a key note address on Tuesday , March 12, 2019.

 President Museveni highlighted the importance of innovation , science and research as key driving tools for the transformation of the African continent . “Apart from education and liberalization that frees the private sector to be active and innovative , you need other enablers like good infrastructure , value addition and democracy ,” he stated . 

“ Therefore, for Africa to undergo social-economic transformation , science and technology must lead the way . The scientists should be well paid ahead of everybody else because we badly need them to copy or innovate the crucial scientific discoveries ,” he emphasized .

The high profile conference which is held every two years has attracted hundreds of local and international dignitaries who include heads of state ,private sector, civil society and public policy experts. Among those in attendance is the Somalia President, Mohamid Abdulali Mohamed , Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto, Tazania Vice President Samia Hossan Suluhu and Egyptian Trade Minister Amr Nassar who represented President Abdi-Fital Sissi.

 

According to Africa Leadership Strategic Center Board of Directors Chairman, Dr .Robert Mwesigwa Rukaari, the conference ‘s theme is “towards a secure, integrated and growing Africa”.

The Kiira EVS is a 4-Seater Executive Vehicle built off the Kiira EV SMACK Platform fitted with a 2.0 Litre Petrol Engine, 5 Speed Automatic Transmission, and an exquisite Beige Interior Trim.

The Democratic Party President , Nobert Mao, Uganda’s Minister of Energy and Minerals, Eng. Irene Nafuna  Muloni , Uganda National Roads Authority, (UNRA), Allen Kagina were among many dignitaries who inspected the Kiira EVS and commended the work being undertaken by Kiira Motors to produce cars in Uganda. 

This is after , the Nabagereka of Buganda , Lady Sylvia Naginda , On Sunday 10,2019, also thanked the Kiira Motors team for its innovations in marketing Uganda’s budding automotive industry .  She was the chief guest at the Women in Rotary  annual dinner which was held at Serena hotel in Kampala.  

 

Mr. Allan Muhumuza, the Kiira Motors’ Business Development Manager ,  said the company  was happy to participate and  the exhibit the Kiira EVS at this  an African event to prove Uganda’s  capabilities in making executive sedans locally and cultivate orders for the niche market segment.

“We have continued to push the frontiers of what was thought as far-fetched in Uganda’s upstream participation in the automotive value chain. The Kiira EVS is one fine piece of Ugandan engineering and design,” he stated.

He said that by showcasing the Kiira EVS, the company will demonstrate to the people of Africa the vast opportunities available in the automotive industry for local content development. “When the automotive industry takes off with Kiira Motors at the helm, Ugandans should be in position to benefit directly through prospects for manufacturing and supplying vehicle parts for the Kiira Vehicle Plant in Jinja,” Muhumuza added.                                                            

Kiira Motors Corporation is a State Enterprise established to make vehicles in Uganda. “One of our strategic objectives is to set up and operate vehicle plants and service centers for the assembly and selling of vehicles and provision of vehicle support products and services that exceed customer expectation,” Mr. Paul Isaac Musasizi the KMC, Chief Executive Officer said.  

Kiira Motors Corporation has also produced the Kayoola Solar Bus and the Kiira EV, winning regional and international recognition as a pioneer in developing vehicle clean energy technologies in Africa.

Kiira Motors Corporation is a State Enterprise, established to undertake the commercialisation of the Kiira Electric Vehicle Project, championing value addition in the domestic automotive industry for job and wealth creation. The Ministry of Science Technology and  Innovation  is  mandated  to  provide Policy guidance  and  oversight  to  Kiira  Motors Corporation.

ENDS