Mr Museveni said one of the designers of the Kiira EVs, Paul Musasizi, told him that –for instance- an electric bus uses Shs360 per km which is almost five times cheaper than a similar fossil fuel bus (using Shs1, 600 per km).
“Electric vehicles are cheaper, cleaner, have no pollution and apparently have less maintenance cost,” he observed.
Appearing to fall back on his earlier slam at the COP26 declaration by world leaders to have zero new vehicle emission by 2040 in leading markets, Mr Museveni said: “This is the solution we should go for.”
Less than 2 per cent of Uganda’s more than 44 million people own a car with fuel prices approaching Shs7, 000 ($1.8) in a beleaguered economy.
“This fuel is likely going to remain high. Even when our petrol is here, we will have to sell it at the world price minus the transport costs,” Mr Museveni disclosed.
The president noted that Uganda needs Shs20billion to develop more affordable electric automotives while crisis after crisis has also awakened government to breathe new life in Uganda’s long-dead railway networks.
“Once people get tired of expensive diesel, they will shift to the train. Fortunately, the railway system for Pakwach-Gulu-Tororo is there and they are repairing it,” he said.
Mr Museveni added: “We are now repairing the old railway metre gauge from Tororo to Kampala. The only problem maybe Kasese because the railway line was vandalized and we shall have to build a totally new one there.”
‘Paying the price’
Mr Museveni, 77, viewed that endless pandemic outbreaks and current global warming marked by wildfires and temperatures soaring over 40 degrees Celsius in parts of Europe are a price the universe is paying for “artificial problems caused by man’s attempt to challenge God’s might.”
