Kiira Motors
About Company
History
The Birth of Mission Vehicles Made in Uganda
The genesis of Kiira Motors Corporation dates back to 2007 when a team of students and staff (Prof. Sandy Stevens Tickodri-Togboa and Mr. Paul Isaac Musasizi) at Makerere University were invited to be part of an international consortium. This was part of a Vehicle Design Summit (VDS), a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) initiative with the goal of designing and producing the Vision 200 – a 5-passenger plug-in hybrid electric vehicle targeting the Indian market. Makerere University the only participant from Africa was responsible for the design and integration of the Low Power Electronics and Data Networking Systems. The team participated, if not for the advancement of scholarship, perhaps for such simple reasons as the associated international exposure and acquisition of exciting skills in Automotive Development.
The team’s selfless effort in carrying out the task at hand against all odds saw Vision 200 completed and displayed at the Dream Exposition in Torino, an event celebrating automotive history and future opportunities and the Museo Nazionale dell’Automobile, Turin, from 22nd September until 24th November, 2008. Given the experience in building the Vision 200, other global experiences through collaborations, and best practices benchmarking, the Makerere team resolved to embark on a project aimed at designing and building a vehicle in Uganda.
art of the Makerere University VDS Team Poses for a Picture in the Vision 200
The Vision 200 on Display at the Museo Nazionale dell’Automobile in Turin, Italy
The Center for Research in Transportation Technologies (CRTT) was conceived in December 2008 and approved as part of the University Structures effective 1st January 2011. The strategic goal of CRTT was to advance research and innovation in transportation technologies on land, air and sea with specific emphasis on green mobility solutions for Africa. The Kiira EV Project was the first project implemented under CRTT.
Considering the student members of the Vision 200 team had completed their studies and left the university, Prof. Tickodri-Togboa and Paul Isaac Musasizi recruited a new student team to start work on designing and building a two-seater plugin electric vehicle – the Kiira EV. It’s important to note that the name Kiira EV was recommended by the President of Uganda, HE Yoweri Kaguta Museveni during interactions with the team in December 2009. This was at a meeting following the President’s visit at Makerere University resulting into the Presidential Initiative Fund for Science and Technology Innovations which took effect on 1st July 2010.
H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and the Faculty of Technology Delegation after a Meeting at State House, Entebbe, December 2009
The Presidential Initiative Fund for Science and Technology Innovations provided the necessary finances for the building of the Kiira EV to start in January 2011 through to 31st October 2011 when the Kiira EV was completed. The President of the Republic of Uganda, HE Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, launched the Kiira EV, the first electric vehicle designed and built in Africa, at a very high profile world class event on 24th November 2011.
Paul Isaac Musasizi takes H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for an Exhibition Drive in the Kiira EV at its Launch on 24th November 2011
The successful execution of the Kiira EV Project was celebrated by Ugandans at large, recognized across the world and graciously welcomed by the President who invited the team to develop a proposal for Establishing a Vehicle Plant in Uganda as a way of commercializing this stellar innovation. The Kiira Motors Project (KMP) was therefore developed by the team and presented to the President with a selection of Government Officials at Statehouse Nakasero on 10th December 2011. The project proposal was well received resulting into government’s commitment to implementing the Kiira Motors Project as a government initiative for Automotive Industry Development aimed at, “Establishing a Vehicle Plant in Uganda”.
Kiira Motors Project (KMP) on top of working toward the establishment of a vehicle plant in Uganda was implementing the Kiira Vehicle Technology Innovation Program through which the Kiira EV SMACK, the first Electric Hybrid Vehicle designed and built in Africa was developed and unveiled at a very high profile event at the Kenyatta International Convention Center in Kenya in November 2014; and the Kayoola Solar Bus, the first Electric Solar designed and built in Africa, launched by HE Yoweri K Museveni on 16th February 2016. These concept vehicles we developed to emphasize the importance of green mobility especially for Urban Mass Transportation and the Role Africa can play in the realization of decarbonized Urban Mass Mobility.
Her Excellency Angelina Wakapabulo, Uganda’s High Commissioner to Kenya tests the Kiira SMACK in Nairobi, Kenya
H.E Yoweri K Museveni Congratulates KMC CEO Paul Isaac Musasizi at the Kayoola Solar Bus Launch
KMC was recognized for the initiatives for Green Mobility by Frost & Sullivan with the prestigious 2016 Frost and Sullivan Visionary Innovation Leadership Award in Sustainable Mobility. The project contributed to the scientific body of knowledge through a number of publications presented at high profile international conferences on the Automotive Industry including being part of the team contributing to the East African Community Automotive Industry Development Policy.
CEO Kiira Motors Corporation receives the Frost & Sullivan Award
Who We Are
Kiira Motors Corporation is a State Enterprise established to champion value addition in the nascent Motor Vehicle Industry in Uganda through Technology Transfer, Contract Manufacturing and Supply Chain Localization. This strategic intervention is poised to contribute to the industrialization agenda envisaged to aid the transformation of Uganda into an upper middle-income economy by 2040. Kiira Motors Corporation is developing long-term technology partnership(s) to build core capabilities to Develop, Make, and Sell motor vehicles and components in Africa on a Mission to build a better Uganda through Automotive Technology. The Strategic Technology Partnership(s) are premised on 4+1 pillars of People, Plant, Products, Mobility Infrastructure and Policy founded on strategies developed and shaped by the realities and characteristics of the target market in Uganda and Africa. The sustainability of the KMC operations is premised on optimal utilisation of infrastructure, facilities and resources seasoned with relevant application of Industry 4.0+ tools and technologies within the context of a circular economy. The Shareholders of Kiira Motors Corporation are: The Government of the Republic of Uganda represented by the Ministry responsible for Science, Technology and Innovation, Office of the President (96%) and Makerere University (4%).
Vision
To be the Best-in-Class Motor Vehicle Manufacturer in Africa.
Mission
To Build a better Uganda through Automotive Technology.
Core Values
Focus on the Customer: We understand, and then meet our customer’s needs. We put the customer at the center of how we run our business.
Collaborate to Learn and Grow: We collaborate with industry leaders to achieve our mission and bring the best solutions to our customers.
Innovate Sustainable Solutions: We create solutions to the challenges faced by our communities. We give our customers and other stakeholders the reason to choose Kiira Motors Corporation.
Empower the Team and Build Community: We take initiative to empower people at all levels – our employees, customers and other stakeholders. We do work that inspires and builds local communities.
Exemplify Professionalism: We operate with world-class levels of integrity, respect, ethics and professional conduct.
Strategic Objectives
Building the Indigenous Motor Vehicle Industry is consistent with Uganda’s aspirations and pathways to Vision 2040 outlined in the National Development Plan III and the NRM Manifesto 2021 – 2026. Specifically, (1) Promotion of Local Manufacturing of Motor Vehicles; (2) Establishment of an Efficient, Integrated, Sustainable, Safe and Inclusive Public Transport System; and (3) Promotion of Environmentally Friendly Transport Solutions. Against this background, the strategic objectives for Kiira Motors Corporation are to:
Develop, Make and Sell Motor Vehicles & Vehicle Components for the African Market
Provide Design, Software Development, Engineering and Testing Services to the Global Automotive Industry and Adjacent Industries (Electronics, Aerospace, Agriculture, Medical Devices, Construction etc.)
Support the establishment of efficient, integrated, safe and inclusive public transport systems
Advance development and adoption of Connected, Autonomous, Shared, and Electric (CASE) vehicle technology in line with the automotive industry current and future trends
Localize the Automotive Industry Supply Chain for domestic value addition
Provide policy advisory and advocacy for developing a sustainable business environment for building the indigenous motor vehicle industry in Uganda.
