Kiira motors hires Dentons as external lawyers

Uganda's automotive industry flagship, Kiira Motors Corporation (KMC), has hired a Kampala law firm, Kyagaba and Otatiina Advocates, a member of Dentons - a global law firm — to provide legal services, on a retainer basis.

Kiira Motors, which is now commercialising its green mobility technologies with some fine products, including the Kayoola EVS — the fully electric buses built in Uganda and the first of the kind on the African continent — needed legal services to protect its interests in a largely competitive automotive global market.

"Dentons law firm brings on board a wealth of experience in the automotive industry, which it taps from its global network. Kiira Motors Corporation is excited to bring the firm on board, especially now that the automotive industry in Uganda is emerging with potential to contribute towards economic and social transformation," a joint statement released by the two parties stated.

The statement further revealed that Kiira Motors Corporation will leverage on Dentons' experience and utilise the firm's global network to promote automotive technology transfer with global industry players and encourage multisectoral backward, forward and lateral linkages along the automotive industry value chain for sustainability and competitiveness.

Among the lawyers at Dentons are David Mpanga, who is the chairperson, Doris Akol, former Commissioner General of Uganda Revenue Authority, a partner and taxation expert, John Musiime and Dennis Otatiina, who is the managing partner.

Mpanga said Kiira Motors will greatly benefit from Dentons' experience and skills with a global network that is needed to grow Uganda's nascent automotive industry.

"This is the best time for Kiira Motors as an industry captain to contribute to the country's economic growth and Dentons shall be there to offer all the required legal counsel," he pledged.

The KMC chief executive officer, Paul Isaac Musasizi, thanked Dentons for accepting to represent KMC on its revolutionary journey to manufacture vehicles in Uganda, including fully electric ones.

"By signing a seasoned legal adviser with a global network, KMC has taken yet another bold step to show the world that it will not be held back as a champion of green mobility technologies in Africa," Musasizi said.

The KMC-Dentons partnership comes at a time when the Government recognises the economic transformative opportunity in the upstream and downstream tiers of the domestic and regional Automotive Industry Value Chain.

In 2018, government approved a roadmap and allocated resources for the establishment of the Kiira Vehicle Plant on 100 Acres of land at the Jinja Industrial and Business Park.

The Kiira Vehicle Plant Phase I is designed for production of up to 22 vehicles (buses and trucks, including pick-ups) a day and an estimated 5,000 vehicles a year. 

The construction of the Kiira vehicle plant, which commenced in February last year and is undertaken by the Uganda People's Defence Forces engineering brigade - through the National Enterprise Corporation now stands at 60%, as of September 2020.

Through technology transfer with China and utilising production facilities at the Luwero industries in Nakasongola, the Kayoola EVS, a premium zero-emissions city bus with a range of 300km was developed and two units built and deployed on the road for market validation.

The Kayoola EVS speaks to improved public transport, operational and fuel efficiency within our cities, coupled with enhanced environmental stewardship.