Kiira Motors Corporation, the manufacturer of the first electric vehicles in Uganda is in hot soup, after a whistleblower dragged it to three Anti-Corruption bodies.
In a petition seen by this website, the whistleblower writes to the Inspector General of Government (IGG), the Chairman Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament and Lt. Col. Edith Nakalema, the State House Anti Corruption Unit.
In the letter dated 4th August 2020, the petitioner appeals for investigation into M/S Kiira Motor Corporation and its activities.
“Reference is made to the above where M/s Kiira Motor Corporation a state owned enterprise established to manufacture electric powered automobiles in Uganda with the government of Uganda owning 96% shareholding and Makerere University owning 4%. The said Kiira Motor Coporation has according to its website manufactured 3 vehicles to wit Kiira EV, Kayoola Solar Bus and Kiira EVS.”
The petitioner adds that Kiira Motors received over UGX 120 billion from cabinet to develop the buses.
“ In April 2018, the cabinet approved a seed fund of US Dollars 40 million to be made in phased payments over 4 years starting in 2018/2019 financial year to commercialise this project,” the petition adds.
However, it may seem that Kiira Motors did not live up to this expectation.
“It is well known that save for the Kiira EV, no bus has been manufactured or even assembled in Uganda but the same have been purchased from China and shipped to Kampala and paraded before both his Excellency the President and Ugandans to hoodwink them in a bid to justify the funding received from government while the same continues to be siphoned by its management,” the petition continues to reveal.
The petition heaps blame on Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Elioda Tumwesigye, who it claims did not live up to his responsibility to carry through the project.
“The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Dr. Elioda Tumwesigye was authorized to establish and oversee the project governance and management structures of this project has also been lying to the President and Ugandans that Kiira Motors manufactures buses in Uganda,” writes the petitioner.
Claiming that the corporation has been hijacked by a criminal gang using it to steal tax payers money, the petitioner wants all the three Anti-Corruption bodies to commence investigations to establish if they have embezzled government funds. The petitioner particular wants Minister Tumwesigye investigate to establish if he is culpable.
This petition throws Kiira Motors Corporation into further controversy, weeks after a former student at Makerere University claims that his idea to make the buses was ‘stolen’ from him before he was ‘thrown under the bus.’