President Museveni Hosts Homecoming Luncheon for Pearl to Cape Expedition, Hails Uganda’s Industrialisation and Innovation Journey

What the report says

Watchdog Uganda reported that President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni hosted a luncheon at State House, Entebbe, to welcome back the Presidential Pearl to Cape Expedition 2025, which featured the Kayoola EVS electric coach travelling from Uganda to South Africa and returning. The publisher said the journey covered more than 13,700 kilometres through several African countries and was presented as a demonstration of Uganda’s progress in electric mobility, engineering, innovation and local vehicle manufacturing.

According to the report, Museveni congratulated Kiira Motors Corporation, its chief executive Paul Isaac Musasizi, engineers, scientists and partners involved in the expedition. He linked the project to Uganda’s wider industrialisation agenda, saying locally made vehicles fit into a push for domestic production, value addition and technological self-reliance. He also directed relevant ministries and agencies to speed up efforts to expand Kiira Motors’ production capacity, increase government procurement of locally manufactured buses, strengthen electric public transport and support battery manufacturing through public-private partnerships.

The article said Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Jonard Asiimwe thanked the President for backing innovation, while Energy and Mineral Development Minister Monica Musenero Masanza described the Kampala–Cape Town electric bus journey as an important marker for Uganda’s industrial ambitions. Musenero also pointed to Kiira Motors’ wider impact on engineering education, supply chains, skills development and job creation.

Musasizi said the expedition showed the reliability and commercial potential of Uganda-made electric buses, and appealed for continued state support through procurement commitments and investment in battery production. MTN Uganda chief executive Sylvia Mulinge said the company supported the trip with connectivity, vehicle tracking and mobile money services, and planned further work with Kiira Motors on connected vehicle technologies.