President Yoweri Museveni commissioned Metu-ZhongTong bus-assembling plant based at Namanve in Wakiso District.
The facility that was started up by Mr. Metu Katabazi, its Chairman and proprietor, started in 2017 with the selling of spare parts of heavy vehicles and later it ventured into the assembling of 67-seater buses in June 2018.
President Museveni who was impressed with the start-up factory, urged Africans to always believe in themselves adding that it was possible for them to also start making cars just like he had seen in the assembling plant.
“Mr Katabazi and his daughter have helped demystify the idea that making cars is very hard. Africans must not despise themselves,” he remarked.
H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tibuhaburwa
He pledged to support the factory adding that he would be giving 100 acres of land for the factory to expand.
The Proprietor of the plant, Mr. Metu Katabazi, says the peace and stability brought by President Museveni is what has enabled him to start the plant. He said that buses, which cost Shs.400 million each, would hit the road as early as next week. He hoped that the business will expand to regional and international markets. He observed that the plant is able to assemble 20 buses monthly and 50 units by 2021.
President Yoweri Museveni has described the proposed automobile manufacturing project in Kasese as the next big thing that will create a new form of wealth and a different, better future for Uganda.
“This programme presents a big challenge where you depend on the brain,’ he said.
‘You get wealth from brain-power and skills. Europe is stronger because of this. Don’t think the people of the world depend on agriculture.
‘You can fit Uganda in the United States of America 40 times, but only 2% of Americans do agriculture. The majority are in industry and services. Before COVID19, we were getting US$1.5b (about sh4.3 trillion) from tourism and only US$5m (about sh17.7b) from coffee,” he said. The President Saturday broke ground for the new Metu Africa Bus Industries at Kasese Industrial Park, a future automobile City of Uganda.
The US$50m (about sh177b) project is expected to produce automobiles and machinery, road, city, tourist and school buses.
Museveni commended local proprietor and investor Metu Katabazi, who did civil engineering at the University of Nairobi, for working to stop the importation of secondhand vehicles and also create jobs.
“Secondhand vehicles are not good. By driving secondhand vehicles, you give rich people’s children jobs when yours don’t have. The whole of Africa imports cars and gives jobs to Japanese, Indians etc. Why give others jobs and forget yours? ‘Secondhand vehicles are also bad for your health and for the environment. They have a high fuel consumption,” said the President.
The US$50m (about sh177b) project is expected to produce automobiles and machinery, road, city, tourist and school buses.
Museveni commended local proprietor and investor Metu Katabazi, who did civil engineering at the University of Nairobi, for working to stop the importation of secondhand vehicles and also create jobs.
“Secondhand vehicles are not good. By driving secondhand vehicles, you give rich people’s children jobs when yours don’t have. The whole of Africa imports cars and gives jobs to Japanese, Indians etc. Why give others jobs and forget yours? ‘Secondhand vehicles are also bad for your health and for the environment. They have a high fuel consumption,” said the President.
He called on Africans to stop importing already built cars, buses etc, saying all the money for the work and other materials for building is lost.
“Fortunately, we have high quality steel in Kabale and Butogota. Even if we import steel but use our own labour and electricity, we shall retain 35% here while 65% goes to buy parts. In the future, we shall also retain the 65% here. When we assemble, all parts are made abroad. Metu says ‘don’t assemble’. He wants to fabricate, not assemble,” said Museveni.
The President commended Katabazi for choosing to invest in Kasese and was happy that the people of Kasese provided the land.
“He insisted on coming to Kasese. I wanted to give him more land in Namanve but he insisted that Kasese is near the market. I want to give him a concession to make city buses. I will order KCCA to procure these buses so that he can get more money from our economy and make more buses.’
President Museveni urged political leaders, particularly the Members of Parliament, to support Government’s plan to put more money at the parish level and work to uplift over two million families out of poverty. “Support me in Parliament and we put more money at the parish level through proper budgeting. Let us increase the youth capital. We shall support about two million families a year to get out of poverty. If we do that, these children will get capital to create wealth.’
The Ugandan leader also thanked the people of Kasese for abandoning lies.
“People were playing around with you. Me I said ‘God is there’! There is no reason why the people of Kasese would be against the NRM. But because of lies, they told you that you will be Yiira Rebublic. If you want the EAC Federation, it’s okay. But do not cut our country. Nobody can cut even an inch from my country…to say that cut a piece of Uganda and DR Congo to form Yiira Republic… lies!’ he underlined.
He also thanked them for overwhelmingly voting for the NRM in the recently concluded elections.
He urged leaders to sensitize their people about wealth and job creation, including in the four sectors of commercial agriculture, industrialisation, services and ICT. On his part, Katabazi said they would invest US$50m (about sh177b) in the next five years and will hope to build capacity to manufacture over 100 buses, including the four-metre city buses and the 4.8 to 18-metre-long buses for rapid transport.
“I can foresee a vibrant multiplier effect in the economy of Uganda. We hope to create 2,000 direct jobs and 2,000 indirect jobs. With your support, we want to have the capacity to become the leading manufacturer of automobiles here,” he said.
Katabazi commended Uganda Prisons and the National Medical Stores who have already bought some of their fabricated buses from their Namanve plant and urged more organisations to do the same.
Museveni commissioned the Metu-ZhongTong bus-assembling plant based at Namanve in Wakiso district in 2017, first with the selling of spare parts of heavy vehicles, before later venturing into the assembling of 67-seater buses in June 2018.
The plant later went into a technological partnership with Chinese bus manufacturing company ZhongTong and currently employs over 55 people.