On July 31, 2019, a ceremony of handover of 53 Russian KAMAZ trucks and 10 trailers to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) was held in Kampala
On July 31, 2019, a ceremony of handover of 53 Russian KAMAZ trucks and 10 trailers to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) was held in Kampala. The event took place as a part of the implementation of the second stage of a joint project between Russia and the WFP to re-equip the Global Truck Fleet of the international organization.
The first stage of the project was implemented in 2014-2015, when the WFP received 218 KAMAZ trucks fr om our country, including fuel tanker and mobile auto repair trucks. The cooperation between Russia and the WFP was established in 2006, since then Russia’s total contribution to the organization is estimated at US $ 33.8 million.
The extreme off-road KAMAZ trucks with a transportation capacity of 10‑14 metric tons each will be used to transport humanitarian goods to the remotest areas of the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia and South Sudan, as well as Uganda (Karamoja and West Nile sub-regions). Russian specialists will be sent to the WFP’s Regional Logistics Hub in Uganda to train mechanics and drivers who will work with the trucks. Moreover, Russia also provided a comprehensive driver-training simulator which will be permanently stationed in Buto, a suburb of Kampala.
Speaking at the trucks handover ceremony, WFP’s Country Director in Uganda Mr. El-Khidir Daloum stressed Russia’s significant contribution to strengthening the logistics potential of the Programme. He added that KAMAZ trucks, which had proven their reliability, would be used to deliver food to the most demanding and remote places, wh ere commercial transport capacity was lacking, so that it would not cause additional challenges to road transport system of Uganda and other countries in the region.
Russian Ambassador H.E. Alexander Polyakov reminded the history of cooperation between Russia and the WFP and greeted further growing partnership. He also expressed the hope that the use of the supplied KAMAZ trucks would contribute to saving many human lives, each of which is priceless.
Minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees of Uganda Hon. Eng. Hilary Onek highly appreciated Russia’s donation and warmly thanked our country for its contribution to Africa’s food security.
The ceremony was attended by representatives of the World Food Programme, Ambassador of South Sudan to Uganda H.E. Simon Michael Duku, employees of the Ugandan logistics company “Globe Trotters”, which hosted the event, specialists from KAMAZ enterprises, as well as numerous journalists. The event was covered by local media outlets, including leading Ugandan newspapers, TV channels and radio stations.
