President Yoweri Museveni last week praised National Medical Stores (NMS) for embracing the Buy Uganda Build Uganda (BUBU) government Policy.
The President singled out the agency as one of the few that has been purchasing locally assembled buses.
As such, the president directed other Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to follow suit and buy vehicles from Metu Zhongtong Bus Industries, which is currently making light and heavy vehicles.
“All Government Departments will buy either from Katabazi or from NEC,” Museveni ordered.
‘‘All this inflation we are experiencing now is because of importation (Okusaka). That is why point Number 5 of the NRM’s 10-point program was to Build an economy which is integrated, independent and self-sustaining, which is what we are already doing’’, President Museveni noted.
The President issued the order after the Director of Zhong Tong Bus Industries in Namanve, Metu Katabazi informed him that the Industry assembles vehicles especially buses and trucks, but Ugandans continue to import cars.
“Our Industry was established in 2018, and the reason it was established was to serve mankind. I looked at the situation of Uganda where from the 1960s, Uganda was importing complete bus units from a neighbouring country in East Africa, and we continue to import even today even though I have a factory in Namanve,” said Katabazi.
He added that he established the factory in order to fabricate buses for Uganda so that the country is self-sufficient in bus manufacturing and possibly also for neighbouring countries.
However, Katabazi told Museveni that Government Agencies have not supported his initiative, yet they should be at the forefront of implementation of Buy Uganda Build Uganda (BUBU) Policy.
He noted that a very few Government Agencies that include; National Medical Stores (NMS), Ministry of Health, Uganda Prisons Services, and Uganda Virus Research Institute have procured buses from Zhong Tong Bus Industries.
NMS Principal Public Relations Officer, Sheilla Nduhukire,
NMS recently procured 2 buses; among which is the ‘UBJ 304U’, popularly known among NMS staff as the Bombardier.
