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

GOVERNMENT’S CONTINUED INVESTMENT IN KIIRA MOTORS IS VITAL FOR NATIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

BY MOSES SSERWANGA

As the country’s vehicles production flagship, Kiira Motors ,continues to champion mission cars  made in Uganda , public interest has increased with many commentators coming on board.

It is a mixed  bag with some commentaries lacking facts while others are coached in political rhetoric to advance selfish interests geared at  sabotaging  a government program of  strategic economic importance .

The latest to comment on Uganda’s prospects to produce cars is the- old man around town, John Nagenda, who in his latest article questioned government’s decision to invest in the automotive industry .In his typical rhetoric style he did not provide any researched  data to back up his argument.

However , available data shows that all the top economies of the world have  budding automotive industries .  From America 's automobile  heartbeat in Michigan (General Motors ) ,  China’s Shanghai General Motors, Malaysia’s Proton, Japan’ s Toyota ,  South Korea’s Hyundai  to   South Africa 's Honda,  the automotive sector has played a leading role in the development of these countries respective economies .

It is not a surprise therefore , that for all the top world biggest economies in 2019 to 2020  which include the USA, China, Japan Germany, United Kingdom, India , France and South Africa ,governments have invested heavily and continue to support their automotive industries . Governments in other relatively small economies like Vietnam, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Morocco, Algeria, Turkey are funding their car producers.

In Asia, governments of major vehicle production countries such as China, South Korea, Malaysia, and Japan have played a virtual role to ensure that their automotive industries, do not only grow and survive the global economic turbulences but that such industries are at the center of growth for these now dubbed economic tigers.

In these countries, several policy interventions have been engineered from provision of affordable financing, to infrastructure development, provision of investment incentives, encouragement on innovation at all level of high learning and industry development to local content development programs.

When the global economy mired in an economic slowdown with global vehicle production dropping more than 10 million units in 2009 from a record high of over 72 million units built in 2007, governments put in place radical economic stimulus packages that boosted their failing automotive industries. Again these were government led interventions to support and prevent their automotive industries, which are the engines of their respective economies from collapsing.

It was not long before the positive impact of such initiatives was seen. A clear example is that of China, following the stimulus package from the Chinese government, China’s auto industry registered a rapid growth in 2009 and 2010. In 2009, China produced more than 13.6 million vehicles, overtaking USA to be the world’s largest car producer. In 2010, the growth momentum continued, bringing China’s vehicle production to nearly 18.3 million units, almost doubling its 2008 production registered before the global economic meltdown.

The Chinese government had opened up its auto market to international companies but only with the understanding that its domestic manufacturers would not be able to compete with the more sophisticated and experienced foreign rivals. Foreign automakers were allowed to enter the Chinese market only through joint ventures with local partners, oftentimes state-owned companies (SOEs)just like Kiira Motors , each with no more than 50% controlled by a major foreign nameplate automotive manufacturer.

Some of these joint ventures have seen VW joining forces with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) and First Automotive Works Corporation (FAW). SAIC is also a joint venture partner of GM, while FAW is also a partner of Toyota. Honda and PSA Peugeot Citroen have both formed partnerships with Dongfeng Motor Corporation.

It is the same story with Malaysia which used a state led auto development approach by building national champions (read Kiira Motors)  before eventually commercializing and privatizing.

All this shows that the automotive industry which is going to be a major force for economic emancipation in the East Africa region and on the African continent will require infant industry state funding and  policy interventions for sustainability and ultimately competiveness.

And for the record, Uganda government ‘s funding of the state owned Kiira Motors has not come out of the blue. Due diligence has been made over the years and a blue print prepared and presented making the case that investing in the automotive sector is a viable venture of national strategic nature.

The Uganda government should not be cowed by the nay-sayers who are quick to praise our neighbours for carrying out similar investments while criticizing anything that is Ugandan.

The writer is a Media and Communications Consultant /Trainer and Advocate of the High Court of Uganda

msserwanga@gmail.com

KIIRA MOTORS Vs. BAKAYIRA ARE MPs’ PLANS TO FUND BOTH RATIONAL ?

By Moses Sserwanga

The Observer newspaper has this week reported that some MPs are not satisfied with the performance of Kiira Motors hardly six months into the financial year. These same MPs are also  fast-tracking their weird ideas of cutting funding to Kiira Motors a government owned   company that is setting up a car production plant at the Jinja industrial park  and give the money  to an obscure private company called Bakayira. 

The debate about Kiira Motors  vs Bakayira is now gaining momentum as a section of MPs for self interests  are engaged in machinations to strip Kiira Motors of its funding in an effort to promote a private company whose viability in the automotive sector has not been documented anywhere.

The MPs' strategy is to divide the 44bn asked for by Kiira Motors  in the next financial year and give it to Bakayira where it can easily be misappropriated . But remember that it has taken Kiira Motors well over 10 years to prove its  competences and capabilities in order to attract this initial Uganda government funding of  Shs. 15bn out of the 24bn for the development /production phase of this project the current financial year and another 44bn for the  next financial year .

 Kiira Motors has deployed these funds to set up a vehicles production plant at  the Jinja Industrial Park. The construction work which began barely two months ago , is being carried out by the UPDF Engineering brigade under the National Enterprise Corporation (NEC) - the business arm of the army headed by an impeccable lawyer Lt. Gen. James Mugira . Before government agreed  to fund the  Kiira Motors development/production phase , the company had  to make a detailed business case to prove the commercial and business viability of the mission to make cars in Uganda while championing the green mobility technologies (electric cars) .

Kiira Motors management has over the years, in its pursuit to be funded , made several high profile presentations to Parliament, Ministry of Finance and even cabinet.  The initial funding to  Kira Motors of  about 15bn out of the 24 bn budgeted for this financial  year was made after cabinet studied the Kiira Motors business case and approved it with the support of  parliament.

The company  has not only made a viable case for the mission cars made in Uganda but  has also tested and proved it's competencies , capabilities in technological innovations by producing three  electric vehicles ; the Kiira Ev, the Kayoola Solar bus , and the Kiira EVS  also know as "The Beast" .  Kiira Motors is the Pioneer of green mobility  technologies in the automotive industry not only in Uganda , the East African region but the African continent . Kiira Motors is an award winning technology  innovator  in Uganda's  automotive industry and this is  well documented .

It is bizarre therefore,  that hardly six months after the initial release of funds for  for the development and production phase of this  national project of strategic importance , some Members of Parliament want to sabotage it even before it gets off the ground . These  MPs must be stopped in their tracks . Politics and self interest should not be promoted at the expense of national projects of strategic nature .The Kiira Motors project if well funded and well managed will bring enormous economic opportunities in the fields of  technology innovation, the job market , value addition and foreign exchange earnings .

And this is not to say that Bakayira  shouldn’t be funded but their funding should not come from the kiira Motors vote. Let them prepare and submit a viable proposal to government for approval be funded on merit.

Otherwise, Kiira Motors needs the support of every Ugandan. Let government fund this project until it can sustain itself and the business case shows that will break even .

The writer is a Media and  Communications Consultant/ trainer and Advocate of the High Court of Uganda.

msserwanga@gmail.com

A NEW KIIRA EVS “THE BEAST”HITS THE ROAD TO BE EXHIBITED AT PARLIAMNENT

By Moses Sserwanga

Kiira Motors Corporation, will exhibit a new version of one of its products dubbed the Kiira EVS also known as “The Beast”

LAKE VICTORIA BOAT TRAGEDY:THE NEED TO OVERHAUL THE NATIONAL MARITIME LAW

By Moses Sserwanga

The tragic boat accident that left at least 32 Ugandans dead on lake Victoria  was a case of total negligence and recklessness by the parties  responsible for the safety of people travelling on our national water bodies . The proprietors of the boat and its crew exhibited no duty of care for their clientele when they deployed a dilapidated vessel for a social cruise .

This national tragedy also showcased the growing tendency by many public servants not to commit to the execution of their respective  mandates for  fear of political ramifications and this is most manifested among security agencies especially police officers at various ranks . Take for example the case of the marine police officers  who even after being in possession of incriminating evidence that the  ill-fated boat was  not only in poor mechanical condition but was also not registered nor licensed ,still allowed it to carry revellers on the fateful day .

The police’s failure to stop the cruise could perhaps explain the state of their mind at the time- given that  many of the revellers were  people of influence  who were hell bent at getting on with the cruise . As fate would have it ,the vessel capsized just under one hour of take off .  This accident further  illustrates the sheer lack of disaster preparedness in this country even when we have a fully- fledged ministry in charge of the disaster docket.

Otherwise ,how do you explain the slow response by the rescue teams when the victims sent out numerous distress calls while still on the boat which was within just 10-15 minutes ride off the docking point .Some survivors have since been quoted in the mainstream media that when they contacted police it was the usual embarrassing story of no fuel! It were the abavubi (ordinary fishermen) on their rudimentary-rickety boats who responded and actually rescued the so much talked about 26 survivors. As such- there was no visible government machinery at a critical time of need to conduct a grand rescue mission the kind we saw when a team of young boys was trapped in a cave for several days somewhere in Malaysia .

And this national misery could not be complete until  when State Ministry in charge of the transport docket stated of course when not prepared, that GOVERNMENT was looking for the ill-fated "boat" because it was not licensed nor registered . What a tragedy !
As if that is not bad enough , a  closer look at the legal framework that governs the water transport sub –sector  shows something of a bizarre nature . On our statute books we have the 20^th century  Maritime transport law- such an outdated piece of legislation . The Marine Insurance Act of 2002 only deals with issues of insurance policy coverage . So unlike the Traffic and Road Safety Act of 1998 , there is no updated specific law to deal with a modern water transport system with all its attendant challenges .
This means that apart from criminal negligence under the Penal Code, the perpetrators of felonies on our water bodies cannot be brought to book for violation of a specific code of conduct .In otherwise, there are no updated specific duties and obligations , defined offences and penalties for the water transport sector .
The National Transport Master Plan 2008-2023 barely covers anything significant about the water transport apart from lamentations of poor enforcement of operator safety procedures, since services are often characterised by gross over-loading, use of defective vessels, and absence of basic safety equipment such as lifebelts and jackets.
In the Plan ,it is also indicated that navigation routes are archaic and need to be re-surveyed; navigation aids are often damaged or missing and there is severe capacity constraints in both the Transport Licensing Board and the Marine Police resulting in poor enforcement of water transport standards.
There is therefore, an urgent need to  update or enact a new water transport law and  operationalize the proposed new Multi-Sector Transport Authority (MTRA). The authority must be equipped with sufficient resources and staff to carry out vessel inspections regularly, with powers to prosecute and suspend licences where owners persistently flout the legal safety requirements.
 Lastly , let us as Ugandans , allow public officials to serve our country and enforce the rule of law without fear of any political ramifications . Enough said .
The Writer is Media and Communications Consultant/ Trainer and Advocate of the High Court of Uganda
msserwanga@gmail.com

LET UGANDANS UNITE AGAINST TORTURE BY SECURITY FORCES

LET UGANDANS UNITE AGAINST TORTURE BY SECURITY FORCES

BY MOSES SSERWANGA

The rising number of cases of suspects being tortured by police officers and other security operatives while in detention centers have convulsed the country and whipped up unprecedented public outcry .  Television and radio interviews of torture victims have been recorded  while  video clips of victims narrating their ordeal have gone viral on the social media.

And yet this new worrying trend is against the NRA/NRM long held doctrine against torture and political assassinations dating back to the bush war days spanning from the early 1980s. When President Yoweri Museveni  launched the NRA/NRM revolution and the bush war some 36 years ago , he maintained a zero tolerance for torture as a means of extracting  intelligence information or illegal confessions from suspects .

It is therefore, surprising and utterly disreputable that in the recent past ,some police officers have taken it upon themselves to torture suspects  while in police custody and other un-gazetted detention centers .  A special committee of the police force  led by the Director of Legal and Human Rights  Erasmus Twaruhukwa and whose other members included Dr. John Kamya, James Kushemererwa and Emilian Kayima recently recommended the closure of Nalufenya after it found that the detention facility did not meet minimum standards required of a holding place for suspects .

And whereas, the new police administration led by the Inspector General of Police , Martin Okoth Ochora should be commended for their brave action to close the Nalufenya detention facility following  wide public protests -that it was one of the most recognized torture chambers in the country ,special investigations should be instituted to bring to book all the police officers who  have been  involved in  gross violation of human rights including the torture of suspects .

The Uganda constitution 1995,in Article 24 under the bill of rights provides for  human dignity and protection from inhuman treatment .It states thus :” no one shall be subjected to torture ,cruel ,inhuman or degrading treatment and punishment. “

The Prohibition and Prevention of Torture Act read together with other international legal instruments interalia, the United Convention Against Torture also- outlaws torture in any form including but not limited to physical and psychological torture, holding suspects incommunicado and denying them adequate medical care .

The courts of Uganda have gone ahead to uphold these principles that govern the fundamental human rights of suspects and one of the recent cases being  the 19 suspects in the Kaweesi murder case . The High Court held that there was gross violation of the suspects human rights when they were subjected to various forms of torture while in detention at Nalufenya .

The court observed  and rightly so that  the rule of law is not a self-effecting doctrine where it’s enforcement is a function of the will of people but rather has institutions charged with enforcing it, especially the police and the  judiciary.

The practice of torture, therefore, is in stark contrast to the doctrine of the rule of law. All suspects in the custody of the state should be accorded their fundamental human rights as enshrined in our constitution . Under our criminal  justice system suspects are presumed innocent until proved guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction. The Uganda police and other security  agencies should not be allowed a  free hand to torture suspects because anyone can fall victim any day .

And in its continued effort to clean up a badly tarnished police image , the new police administration  should carry out regular independent inspections of all detention facilities across the country to stamp out human rights violations. It  is in the best interest of  society that police cells and other detention facilities meet the intentionally acceptable standards to ensure the observance of human rights and promotion of the rule of law.

We  need a robust human rights protection mechanisms involving both the rights holders and duty bearers. All is not lost on us.

The writer is an Advocate of the High Court of Uganda

And Media, Communications Consultant/trainer.

msserwanga@gmail.com