The Kayoola E-Coach, Uganda’s flagship electric bus built by Kiira Motors Corporation, has arrived in South Africa, marking a major step forward for the country’s innovation and e-mobility ambitions.
The bus reached Johannesburg on Friday, December 5, 2025, where a Ugandan delegation held a high-level meeting with executives from MTN South Africa to explore deeper collaboration in technology, innovation and public–private partnerships.
The delegation, led by Uganda’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Paul Amoru, included officials from the Science, Technology and Innovation Secretariat (STI) in the President’s Office, Kiira Motors Corporation and MTN Uganda. They met a team from MTN South Africa headed by Sudipto Moitra, the General Manager for Enterprise Solutions.
The discussions centered on expanding Uganda’s homegrown technologies across the continent and building partnerships to support the development and distribution of solutions emerging from STI projects.
Catherine Muwumuza, Superintendent of Support Services at STI-OP, said the Kayoola E-Coach’s performance so far shows Uganda’s innovation ecosystem is ready for broader adoption.
“The Kayoola electric bus is proof that what we created truly works. Moving people requires connectivity and that is where MTN comes in. We need further conversations to foster collaboration with MTN’s continental reach to drive e-mobility,” she said.
The bus began its 13,000-kilometre expedition from Kampala on November 20. By the time it arrived in Johannesburg, it had covered 4,916 kilometres — about 38.7 percent of the journey — and avoided an estimated 2,270 kilograms of carbon emissions.
The engagement also drew on the existing partnership between MTN Uganda and Kiira Motors, which previously led to the development of Africa’s first fully connected digital electric bus.
Moitra said MTN is now positioned not only as a telecom operator but as a provider of digital and technology solutions capable of supporting emerging innovation ecosystems.
“We have seen a lot of innovations from Uganda and are well poised to co-create with the country. MTN leadership is willing to support and scale Uganda’s innovation agenda,” he said.
Ambassador Amoru welcomed MTN’s interest and linked the dialogue to Uganda’s wider investment and industrialisation goals.
“The president urged private companies such as MTN to support public–private partnerships such as these. I am happy to see that we are having these engagements,” he said.
The meeting reaffirmed the shared commitment to advancing scalable African innovation, strengthening regional collaboration and accelerating solutions aimed at transport, technology and climate resilience.