Former Makerere University Electrical Engineering student Steven Jeremy Ntambi has come out claiming that Uganda’s flagship electric car company Kiira Motors was his idea, which was grabbed from him by Paul Isaac Musasizi (the then project supervisor) and Prof Sandy Stevens Tickodri Tagboa who was then the Deputy Dean Faculty of Technology at Makerere University.
Ntambi claims the electric vehicle was his final year project and that it was a student led initiative.
Mr Ntambi, using social media this week, accused the two academics of “grabbing” his project and renaming it Kira Motors Corporation.
He claims he nursed the project and was even discouraged from pursuing it because it was too ambitious.
“During the work Paul Isaac Musasizi always scoffed at the project and mentioned that it was impossible and I was being too ambitious…during the time we worked I was labeled a fraud and always threatened to remember he supervised my final project as a student,” he claimed.
“While chasing this dream, we had moments where we went without food and had to squeeze for space with other students when we travelled abroad because we could only borrow money for the ticket with help of our parents.”
However, Kiira Motors has come out refuting Ntambi’s allegations by giving the genesis of Kiira Motors, and warned that if he (Ntambi) doesn’t withdraw his “defamatory allegations,” he will be dragged to Court.
According to Kiira Motors issued statement, it all began in 2006 when students at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) came up with an idea codenamed the Vehicle Design Summit (VDS). In its second phase, the company says MIT visited universities around the world to join and form a consortium with the goal of designing and bringing to market a 5 metre plugin electric hybrid vehicle codenamed Vision 200 and Makerere University joined 35 other universities in the project to support student led collaborative projects in the future.
When one Dr Tom Wanyama suddenly left Makerere University, they say, Ntambi approached Mr Isaac Musasizi, an assistant lecturer to help supervise the project.
“Musasizi invited Prof Sandy Stevens Tickodri Tagboa who was the Deputy Dean Faculty of Technology to provide the overall guidance. Prof Tickodri and Musasizi invited other students to join the Makerere VDS 2.0 team to all work together because the assignment needed students from diverse academic background. Ntambi became the student leader on the team,” read the statement in part.
The company adds that (Ntambi) was advised to focus on the component of Vision 200 power electronics as his final year project.
Later in 2008, during the period of industrial training at Makerere University Faculty of Technology, the VDS teams again convened in Torino, Italy to begin work on integration of the Vision 200 prototype and Makerere was represented by Jeremy Ntambi and other students while Prof Tickodri Tagboa was part of the team as supervisor.
“It was during this time that the idea of research center for transportation technologies started taking shape. Most of the student members from Torino including Ntambi left because they had finished their studies. Despite the departure of team members, Makerere sought to build on the knowledge gained from the collaboration and team’s participation in the Torino build event.”
The statement added that Prof Barnabas Nawangwe, then the Dean of Faculty of Technology encouraged Prof Tickodri and Musasizi to put in place an institutionalised program in Automotive Research and Innovation which gave rise to the concept of Center for Research in Transport and Technologies (CRTT) which was approved in 2011.
“Makerere started working on MAK – EV, the famous green vehicle. However, President Museveni proposed that name to be changed to Kiira after the River Nile. Work progressed leading to the launch of the vehicle in 2011.”
Further, the statement reads that at the launch of Kiira – EV, the green car, Ntambi had long left Makerere University.
“However, with funding secured and work progressing, Ntambi returned from a Master’s Programme abroad and suddenly sent an email that the current team led by Mr Paul Isaac Musasizi should leave and he takes over the project. Ntambi has no basis for this demand as he had no formal engagement either as a student or staff of Makerere University. Ntambi went to Facebook and started mudslinging the team working on Kiira vehicles,” the statement read.
The company now maintains that if Ntambi doesn’t withdraw his claims he will be dragged to courts of law.