Jeremy Steven Ntambi has recently come in the limelight when he came out on his Twitter page and wrote a detailed account claiming he owned the idea of assembling the first electric vehicle in Uganda that gave birth to Kiira Motors Corporation.
ALSO READ: Read the Story of Jeremy Steven Ntambi who claims that Kiira Motors Corporation stole his work
In his twitter accusation, Mr. Ntambi said; “You see people who simply got a student project and now turned it into a corporation by simply running with your dream and now receiving support from the state.” However, according to records at Makerere University, Ntambi’s final year thesis report titled was Vehicle Design Summit’s Vision 200- Design of the Power Electronics, and it was centered around the design and development of a converter for the auxiliary power unit and its control strategy. This is just a portion of the entire vehicle assembly and doesn’t necessarily mean that Mr. Ntambi was the source of the idea for the Kiira Motor’s Corporation plant.
In fact, other sources reveal that the idea came from the head of state President Yoweri Museveni when he requested a team of engineers led by Prof. Sandy Stevens Tickodri -Togboa at Makerere University. The first green Pettit car was originally named the Makerere Electronic Vehicle and later baptized Kiira EV at the time of Launch on the 24th of November 2011.
After the president came up with the idea of the vehicle manufacturing plant, a detailed proposal was requested and added to a big national strategic goal. It was prepared by several engineers (see full list below) led by Prof Sandy Stevens Tickodri- Togboa assisted by Mr. Paul Isaac Musasizi (CEO Kiira Motor Corporation) and submitted to the cabinet for approval. In 2018 the cabinet approved the UGX 144bn Kiira Motors proposal which had a detailed roadmap and key strategic objectives of Kiira Motors Corporation.
The grand proposal was further supported with the approval of setting up cutting edge vehicle support infrastructure such as charging stations and facilities to support electric, autonomous and vehicles that will communicate with each other in the future (read as drive-less cars)
The Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation were given the task to put in place the necessary requirements for actualizing the commercialization of the Electric Vehicles in Uganda. Cabinet also asked Dr. Elioda Tumwesigye the minister at the time — to initiate and oversee the project governance and management structures.
The birth of Kiira EV
There is no doubt that at some point in time Mr. Ntambi was involved in a similar project at the start. According to records, in 2008, before he submitted his final year project report, Prof. Tickodri- Togboa had as part of an extra -curriculum activity participated in the Torino Vision 200 Summit of which Mr. Ntambi was part. At the Italy summit, there were over 31 universities from all over the world under an association birthed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology popularly known as (MIT) to build a plugin electric hybrid vehicle.
On the contrary, Mr. Ntambi has alleged that during the project, he had asked Prof. Tickodri to come visit so that he could show him an idea of the plant used to built FIAT in Italy so that when they return to Uganda he would champion this ambitious dream of setting up proper innovative manufacturing. He further accused KCM CEO, Paul Musaazi of just being a desk person who “normally scoffed at the project and normally stated we were trying to con people by our plans of setting up manufacturing and yet when this support came, they now both claims to have had this dream.”
Later by June 2008, Mr. Ntambi, Paul Rwemalla, Aggrey Kabunga, Dativa Tizikara, Emmanuel Ssebbagala, and Douglas Bibita, traveled to Torino for the physical car build. It was a huge team so the rest remained behind to support other development activities and research.
The successful trip and participation in the Torino project led was a huge step forward and highly contributed to the development of the hybrid vehicle project, it is at this point that the students — including Mr. Ntambi returned to Makerere and wrapped up their various engineering degrees, graduated and left the University.
Down the rabbit hole
Prof. Tickodri- Togboa and Paul Isaac Musasizi began the actual genesis to build a fully electric two-seater vehicle by February 2009. This was after Mr. Ntambi and his teammates had left Makerere University. A fresh team of engineering students was assembled who made the famous Kiira EV car. At this point in the story, you can notice that Steven Jeremy Ntambi had long left the university and did not at any one time participate in the original concept designs and development of the first green car.
The records at MUK indicate that the Kiira EV was developed from late 2009 to Nov 2011. This was led by Prof. Sandy Stevens Tickodri Togboa and Eng. and Paul Isaac Musasizi. The team at the time included;
- Richard Madanda as the student team leader currently the Director of Product Development at Kiira Motors
- Eng. Fred Matovu, now the Electric and Electronic Systems Manager at KMC
- Paul Rwemalla (left KMC)
- Patricia Atungire (left KMC)
- Gerald Baguma (left KMC)
- Maurice Wandera (left KMC)
- Nasser Gyagenda (left KMC)
- Diana Kagimba, who was a student engineer support
Mr. Ntambi further alleged that he was hoodwinked at a time when the project was ripe to move forward. He says he was met with immediate instructions never to come back to the project by both Professor Tickodri and Paul Isaac Musasizi the people he has invited to supervise the project. But from the above genesis of the project and official records at the University, this version of his story just leads the everyone down the rabbit hole.
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