The construction of the Kiira Vehicle Assembling plant at Kagogwa village, Kakira Town Council in Jinja district handled by the National Enterprises Corporation, the UPDF’s business wing has taken shape.
Last week, the NEC Management Committee led by the Deputy Managing Director, Brig. Moses Ddiba Ssentongo visited the construction site and appreciated the efforts by the workers on site.
“Eng Brian Buhanda who is heading the workers on-site assured the committee that the project will be executed on time,” a statement from NEC said.
“He informed the committee that the project was supposed to run for 30 calendar months which ends in June next year because it was based on the financial flow but he is now confident that by the end of this year, he will have executed the project.”
General Managers Brig Emmanuel Shillingi(NEC Uzima), Col Wycliffe Keita (NEC Farm Katonga), Eng Simon Terwane (NEC AGRO), General Manager Finance and Chief Internal Auditor were among the other officials who visited the Kiira EV assembling plant site.
In 2014, Uganda Investment Authority commissioned two companies – Kiira Motors Corporation and China Engineering Limited to start car production by 2018 but this deadline passed before hitting the target due to challenges linked to funding and technology.
The vehicle assembling plant will include a 6,000square metre assembly shop, 3,000square metre multi-purpose warehouse, 1,200 square metre plant office space, vehicle test facilities, waste management facility, , vehicle park yard, stormwater channel, energy centre, main entrance gate,3.6km perimeter face and 3 gates among others.
The National Enterprise Corporation (NEC), the commercial arm of the UPDF last year undertook to manufacture the Kiira EV vehicle for sale.
“NEC through one of its subsidiaries-NEC Construction Works and Engineering Ltd and utilizing UPDF engineers which have since developed capacity for engineering construction and civil works, will be engaged by the KMC for the construction of the Kiira vehicle plant,” read in part a statement from the Uganda army’s commercial arm.
