Eswatini Moves Closer to Procuring Uganda’s Kayoola Electric Buses After Kiira Motors Assessment

What the report says

Eswatini has completed a five-day technical due diligence mission at Kiira Motors Corporation in Uganda, moving closer to a possible purchase of Uganda-made Kayoola electric buses, according to Nile Post. The visit, held between July 28 and August 1, was led by Thulani Mkhaliphi, Eswatini’s principal secretary for public works and transport, and focused on Kiira Motors’ manufacturing capacity, engineering standards, production lines, testing facilities and charging infrastructure in Jinja.

The report says the delegation’s assessment built on earlier ties between the two countries, including King Mswati III’s 2024 state visit to Uganda and the Pearl to the Cape expedition, during which Kayoola buses travelled more than 14,000 kilometres across Southern Africa. Ugandan officials also presented the country’s broader industrial strategy through science, technology and innovation, while the visitors examined the wider clean-mobility ecosystem by visiting electric motorcycle maker Spiro Uganda and electric bicycle company E-Bee.

Nile Post reported that Eswatini’s interest goes beyond buying buses and includes possible cooperation on local assembly, maintenance, skills development and related infrastructure. The delegation also toured the Made in Uganda One-Stop Centre to discuss export readiness, packaging and opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area. The mission ended with commitments to deepen cooperation in transport, manufacturing, renewable energy, trade and investment, and with an invitation for Ugandan manufacturers to attend Eswatini’s upcoming international trade fair. The development is significant because it suggests growing regional confidence in Uganda’s electric vehicle industry and its ambitions to become an exporter of clean mobility solutions in Africa.