Kenya's nationwide e-bike initiative revealed

author: FutureCar Staff    

The Kenyan government has announced plans to introduce electric motorbikes throughout the country. President William Ruto revealed the initiative in collaboration with African startup Spiro, just before hosting the first Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi next week. Kenya currently has around two million motorbikes on its roads, with the majority being "boda bodas" or two-wheeled taxis that are commonly used across the continent.

Ruto emphasized that the adoption of electric mobility is a crucial step to address the challenges of pollution, adverse health effects, and fuel costs. He stated that Kenya aims to eventually phase out combustion engine-powered motorbikes, as their increasing use across the continent has serious implications for climate change and air quality. While Africa only contributes two to three percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, it suffers disproportionately from the effects of climate change, according to the UN Environment Program.

Spiro, an African startup, has already introduced nearly 10,000 electric bikes in countries including Benin, Togo, Rwanda, and Uganda. The company plans to establish 3,000 battery-charging and swapping stations in Kenya, in addition to the 350 already present across Africa. Their goal is to potentially roll out over one million electric vehicles throughout the country.

President Ruto, who is actively involved in African efforts to combat climate change, believes that Kenya has the potential to generate 100 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030. Currently, more than 90 percent of the country's energy comes from renewable sources such as hydroelectric, geothermal, solar, and wind power. However, Kenya still faces challenges such as frequent power cuts, as evidenced by a recent massive outage that affected several regions, including Nairobi and its international airport.

In addition to the environmental benefits, the introduction of electric motorbikes also aims to alleviate the economic hardship faced by Kenyans. Fuel prices at the pump have reached their highest levels in over a decade, adding to the cost-of-living crisis and the burden of new taxes. Currently, registered electric vehicles (EVs) account for less than one percent of the total 4.4 million registered vehicles in Kenya, according to government figures.

FutureCar Staff