Uganda's New Electric Vehicle Could Make Imported Used Cars Obsolete

Uganda is building its own electric buses in Jinja, with a plan for an 80 GWh battery industry. But the story started in 2007, when Makerere students joined an MIT car project. The file nobody opened. September 2022: the European Parliament calls for "maximum pressure" on Uganda over its oil pipeline. In Kampala, the answer is immediate: "Uganda shall find another partner." What nobody in Strasbourg noticed is what Uganda was building at the same time: electric buses, designed by Ugandan engineers who started as university students. In this video we open the file: 1896 the railway built to carry Uganda's goods away, 1954 the dam at Jinja, 2007 Makerere as the only African team in an MIT-led car design project, 2011 the Kiira EV, 2016 the Kayoola Solar Bus, 2018 Kiira Motors, 2020 the Bulamu ventilator, 2021 the Jinja plant, 2024 39 buses and 600,000 km, May 2026 electric buses in Kampala, and August 2026 a battery plan. Question for you: should African governments buy only African-made buses, even if imported ones are cheaper? Yes or no? Tell us in the comments, and which country you're watching from. Subscribe and turn on the bell so the next story finds you. 📚 SOURCES European Parliament resolution on the EACOP / Total pipeline, September 2022 (europarl.europa.eu) Statements by Thomas Tayebwa (Deputy Speaker) and President Yoweri Museveni on the resolution, September 2022 (Ugandan and international press) Kiira Motors Corporation, official website and press releases (kiiramotors.com) Makerere University, Center for Research in Transport Technologies and Vehicle Design Summit 2007 (MIT) Uganda Cabinet decision of April 2018 creating Kiira Motors Corporation (96% Government / 4% Makerere) Launch of the Kiira EV, 24 November 2011; Kayoola Solar Bus, 16 February 2016 Foundation stone of the Kiira Vehicle Plant, 14 August 2021 E-Bus Xpress Kiira launch in Kampala, May 2026 (statements by Minister Edward Katumba Wamala and Ian John Kavuma) Kiira Motors battery industry plan, August 2026 (T6 Industrial Park, Nakasongola) Auditor General of Uganda report on Kiira Motors, October 2025 Owen Falls Dam, 1954; Uganda Railway, 1896 (historical records) ⚠ DISCLAIMER This video is for information and educational purposes only. It is based on public sources available at the time of recording; figures, dates and plans may change. Images and visuals are illustrative and may be AI-generated or archival. This channel is not affiliated with Kiira Motors, the Government of Uganda or any person shown. All opinions are the channel's own. #Uganda #KiiraMotors #ElectricVehicles #AfricaBuilds #MadeInAfrica #ElectricBus #Museveni