The Jinja Kiira Plant, officially known as the Kiira Vehicle Plant, is a large-scale automotive manufacturing facility developed by Kiira Motors Corporation in Jinja, Uganda. It is widely recognized as Africa’s first purpose-built electric bus manufacturing plant because it was designed from the outset specifically for producing electric buses and related vehicles, rather than adapting an existing assembly facility.

The project formally began in February 2019, when construction started at the Jinja Industrial and Business Park. This phase focused on building a complete automotive production ecosystem, including body fabrication, painting, chassis assembly, final assembly lines, quality control systems, and testing infrastructure suitable for electric vehicles.

By late 2024, construction and installation of major production systems were completed. The plant then transitioned from development to operational readiness, with local engineers and technicians trained to run full manufacturing processes rather than simple vehicle assembly.

Commercial production commenced in March 2025, marking the moment the facility became an active manufacturing plant capable of producing electric buses at scale. This step is crucial in defining the plant as “purpose-built,” since full manufacturing operations—not pilot production—began at this time.

The plant was officially commissioned in September 2025, when it was formally inaugurated by the Government of Uganda. This commissioning confirmed the Kiira Vehicle Plant’s status as a landmark industrial achievement and solidified its position as the first dedicated electric bus manufacturing plant in Africa, intended to serve both Uganda and regional markets.

According to the internet