Museveni Fetes Kayoola E-Coach After 13,784-km Expedition, Orders Faster EV Production
Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni hosted a State House luncheon for Kiira Motors' all-electric bus after a 13,784-km transcontinental trip, and directed ministries to expand production and procurement.
- 13,784 km
- 40 days
- 422 kWh
- 0.79 kWh/km
What Happened
At a July 22, 2026 homecoming luncheon at State House Entebbe, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni celebrated the return of Kiira Motors Corporation's Kayoola E-Coach 13M from the 'Pearl to Cape Expedition 2025.' The fully electric, 13-meter bus designed, engineered, and built in Uganda covered 13,784 kilometers across Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, Eswatini, and South Africa over 40 days. The event also served as the formal endorsement of a 'Kampala-Cape Town Green Belt' economic corridor powered by renewable energy and digitized logistics.
President Museveni commissions the Kiira Vehicle Plant in Jinja, described as Africa's largest bus manufacturing facility.
Expedition flag-off ceremony officiated by Hon. Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala.
Kayoola E-Coach returns to Kampala Metroplex Mall.
Bus arrives back at the Kiira Vehicle Plant, completing the 40-day, 13,784-km journey.
Homecoming luncheon at State House Entebbe with presidential directives on EV production.
At the luncheon, President Museveni framed the expedition as part of Africa's industrial renaissance and issued directives to fast-track expansion of Kiira Motors' production capacity, increase government procurement of locally produced buses, strengthen electric public transport systems nationwide, and mobilize private capital through partnerships for battery manufacturing. He described the journey as the vanguard of a strategy to capture regional export markets under the African Continental Free Trade Area. The expedition was led by Kiira Motors founding CEO Paul Isaac Musasizi, with a 50-member crew.
“I didn't have the answers then, I have them now. You will be able to see and even touch the results.”
- Electric: ~$0.15 (UGX 1,185); Diesel: ~$0.50 (UGX 3,006)
- Electric: zero emission; Diesel: high emission
- Electric: minimal (mountings/coolant); Diesel: high (filters, oil, ATF)
- Zero maintenance failures over 13,784 km; only a single tire puncture in Botswana.
- Return-leg efficiency improved 6% to 0.79 kWh/km, from 0.84 kWh/km outward.
- Total energy consumed: 10,904.48 kWh.
- Best segment efficiency: 0.70 kWh/km (Francistown–Gaborone).
- Avoided over 6 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
Previously from Kiira Motors Corporation
Kiira Motors has been expanding its electric mobility footprint. In National Science Week 2026, it showcased its Kayoola EVS electric bus and formally launched the E-Bus Xpress (EBX) service, which deployed locally built electric buses in Kampala on May 3, 2026. Earlier in May, Absa Bank Uganda's Managing Director and senior leadership visited Kiira's Jinja vehicle plant to explore cooperation in mobility innovation.
- Absa Bank Uganda Leadership Visits Kiira Motors Vehicle Plant
- Uganda Launches E-Bus Xpress Electric Bus Service in Kampala
- Kiira Motors Showcases Electric Bus and Launches E-Bus Xpress at Uganda's National Science Week 2026
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Kiira Motors Corporation's official releases.
Why this matters
The expedition proves an electric bus designed and built in Uganda can complete a 13,784-km African route at roughly $0.15/km — about a third of a diesel coach's energy cost — while avoiding over 6 tonnes of CO2. It also backs Uganda's push to replace imported buses with local manufacturing, expand electric public transport, and attract private battery investment, which could cut fuel imports and create industrial jobs.
Terms in This Story
- LFP battery
- Lithium Iron Phosphate battery, a type of rechargeable lithium battery that is thermally stable and can handle deep discharge cycles.
- Regenerative braking
- A system that recovers energy during braking and stores it in the battery, improving efficiency.
- Telematics
- Technology that transmits vehicle data over mobile networks for remote monitoring.
- AfCFTA
- African Continental Free Trade Area, a trade agreement to create a single continental market.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.