made in uganda electric car

In 2011 they unveiled their
first car, the Kiira EV Proof of
Concept. Although the Kiira
EV had some weaknesses it
became a foundation to build
on. Among participants in the
exercise, headed by the
famed US-based
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT), were
students from Uganda’s
Makerere University. The
experience inspired them to
embark on a project to
develop a ‘Made in Uganda’
hybrid car.
Uganda’s Ministry of Trade
Industry and Cooperatives
took up the Kiira electric
vehicle project and improved
on the Kiira EV model. The
government then set up the
Kiira Motors Corporation
(KMC) which plans to
actualise commercial
production of the car. Earlier
this year KMC was allocated
100 acres at the Jinja
Industrial and Business Park.

Prototype unveiled
In mid-November in Nairobi,
KMC unveiled a prototype of
its sedan hybrid electric
vehicle dubbed the Kiira EV
SMACK, marking a first in
East Africa. The five-seater
sedan is powered by a
rechargeable battery and also
has an internal combustion
engine-based generator which
charges the battery.
“The Kiira Motors project is
the brainchild of university
research, which has been the
model for innovations and
economic growth in the
developed countries. This
project will impact the
economic reforms that are
currently being undertaken in
the respective East African
partner states,” said Uganda’s
High Commissioner to Kenya,
Angelina Wapakhabulo, at the
unveiling.
Albert Akovuku, chief
operations officer of the Kiira
Electric Vehicle Project tells
How we made it in Africa the
team will be traversing East
Africa scouting for investors.
KMC requires US$350m to
set up a manufacturing plant
and actualise its goal of
producing its first commercial
car by 2018. A KMC team
was also in London earlier
this month meeting potential
investors. KMC announced it
had held discussions with the
Hinduja group, a global
conglomerate, on
manufacturing and
assembling in Uganda.
Returns ‘within 10 years’
Akovuku says investors
should expect to make
returns “within 10 years”
adding that KMC’s target is to
capture 15% of the market
share in East Africa within a
decade.
The Ugandan government
has already pumped $70m
into the project. According to
Akovuku, in its first year of
production KMC will make
840 cars per month adding
up to over 10,000 units
annually. It will employ over
500 people.
When released into the
market, the sedan will retail at
about $30,000. Akovuku says
buyers will be able to pay for
the car over a five year
period. He adds that
compared to new sedans that
are imported, buyers will save
on transportation costs and
import taxes.
Although the Kiira EV SMACK
prototype was received with
enthusiasm in Nairobi, some
argued this was not really a
‘Made in Uganda’ car but
more of an assembled
product. Akovuku agrees that
some parts were imported,
but argued this is the norm,
even among industry giants
like Germany’s Mercedes-
Benz.
“We too would like to avoid
vertical integration. We
cannot do everything,” he
says.
Nonetheless, he says the car
is designed for the region,
given the state of the roads,
weather conditions and
affordability to consumer