UGANDA UNVEILS ITS FIRST SOLAR POWERED BUS

     As a child, Ugandan Paul Isaac Musasizi always had busy hands. He regularly pulled apart the family television, and used motors from old cassette players to make toy cars.

Now, in his mid-thirties, he's the CEO of technology company Kiira Motors Corporation and the brains behind Africa's first solar-powered electric bus which made its debut on February 16.

    "In Uganda, we have non-stop sun," he says. "No other countries manufacturing vehicles are on the equator like Uganda. We should celebrate that, and make a business out of it."

The 35-seater bus, known as the "Kayoola", can travel up to 50 miles straight and is powered by two batteries. One is connected to solar panels on the roof, while the other is charged electrically for longer distances and journeys at night.

    Musasizi says it takes just one hour to fully charge each battery, making the vehicle suitable for "all sorts of duties in the cities", such as school buses or longer-haul journeys across borders.

Kiira Motors recently made a prototype of the bus, and ran a test drive near the national stadium in Kampala. The Kayoola debut is big news for the country, whose President Yoweri Museveni will attend the launch.

     "I'm really humbled by the response to the bus so far, not only in Uganda but internationally," said Musasizi. "By launching the bus, we are saying Uganda now has the potential to add value in the world, especially within electric technology."