The “Made in Uganda Grand Trans-Africa Electric Expedition” has arrived in Botswana’s capital, Gaborone, after clocking 4,493km on Day 13.
After covering 4,493 km (35% of the total mission) with an outstanding efficiency of 0.84 kWh/km, with neither accidents nor maintenance spend on the vehicle itself, the expedition’s success speaks to Uganda’s engineering prowess embodied by Kiiro Motor Company’s fully electric Kayoola Coach.
The milestone was celebrated at a high-level engagement hosted at Hotel 430 in Gaborone, attended by His Excellency the Ambassador of Uganda to South Africa, Mr. Paul Amoru, senior officials from the Botswana Ministry of Transport, the Deputy Head of Mission at the Uganda High Commission in Botswana, and representatives from Kiira Motors Corporation and the Office of the President.
Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Science Technology and Innovation, Monica Musenero, Ambassador Amoru commended all the stakeholders’ critical roles aimed at realizing the green mobility saying: “Africa must move from being a consumer of technology to a net exporter of technology,” Amoru said.
Lesego Thamae, Botswana’s Deputy permanent secretary at the Ministry of Communication and Transport, spoke highly of the Kayoola Coach: “The Kayoola E-Coach in Gaborone is a living proof of Agenda 2063’s vision: a green, smart, and connected Africa. This Made-in-Africa innovation strengthens our resolve in Botswana to embrace sustainable mobility to create shared prosperity for the continent.”
Elias Bwambale, Kiira Motors Corporation’s Head of Mission, emphasized the urgent need for pan-African charging infrastructure:
“We have proven that African engineers can design and build a world-class electric coach that outperforms many global counterparts. But hardware alone is not enough. The real game-changer will be a harmonized, interoperable fast-charging network along Africa’s major transnational corridors.”
The 50-member crew traveling with the vehicle includes officials from MTN Uganda, which is playing the pivotal role of providing the expedition’s entire digital backbone across six countries, including Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, Eswatini, and South Africa.
As the connectivity partner for the historic 13,000 km round-trip journey from Kampala to Cape Town and back, MTN Uganda has ensured the zero-emission Kayoola E-Coach 13M (Model 2025) remains fully connected, tracked, and operational in real time.
Through MTN’s Smart Travel proposition, the electric coach benefits from: Always-on MTN On-board Wi-Fi, Real-time GPS fleet tracking and telemetry data transmission, Seamless cross-border communication via MTN Roaming and Webex, as well as Instant digital payments powered by MTN Mobile Money.
From Gaborone, the Kayoola E-Coach will proceed to South Africa, aiming for the final destination of Cape Town.
