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On February 3, 2026, Kenya’s Ministry of Roads and Transport officially launched the National Electric Mobility (e-Mobility) Policy. This policy is a landmark shift, moving the country’s electric vehicles (EVs) sector from fragmented pilot projects into a structured, national economic strategy. By shifting transport energy reliance to domestic electricity, the policy directly targets Kenya’s massive petroleum import bill that is straining foreign exchange reserves.
This policy provides a comprehensive framework to accelerate the EV transition in the country. Key elements include creating and enabling an ecosystem to establish a dedicated framework to facilitate widespread adoption and set transition targets, updating existing laws to remove barriers and provide a roadmap for the e-mobility sector, promoting local content and manufacturing to create green jobs and reducing import dependence and a gradual transition for public transport and government fleet.
The National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy (NEECS) envisions that 5 per cent of all registered vehicles in Kenya will be electric powered by 2025. All motorcycles in the country are to be electric by 2050. Thus, the transport sector will play a key role in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 32 per cent by 20230 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 through a complete transition to electric mobility.
The policy explicitly provides fiscal and non-fiscal incentives. The fiscal ones include tax incentives including excise duty and VAT exemptions for manufactures and assemblers on EV parts and ‘green channel’ privileges for expedited implementation, reduced stamp duty for EV infrastructure development and incentives for property owners for public charging points installation and potential tax breaks and reduced electricity costs for charging for consumers. This reduces excise duty to zero on electric buses, electric motorcycles, electric bicycles, and lithium-ion batteries. The non-fiscal measures include preferential access such as bus lanes, parking fee waivers and potential exemptions from certain road tolls.
The policy within the broad framework identifies specific strategies for different vehicle segments. As electric two-wheelers registration numbers are surging, the policy aims for a massive scale-up. This is followed by a phased transition framework for public transport including buses and matatus (minibuses) and also electrification and modernisation of the Standard Gauge and a mandate for a gradual transition of all government vehicles to EVs.
The government aims to eliminate ‘range anxiety’ and high setup costs for charging infrastructure through a range of strategies including widespread coverage, besides establishing specific targets for deploying charging infrastructure across all vehicle categories.
It also aims to ensure different charging systems and public stations are compatible nationwide, the electricity grid is upgraded to handle increased demand, there is a reliable supply specifically for e- mobility, building regulations are updated to require EV charging provisions in new developments and guidelines for retrofitting existing structures and a specific e-mobility tariff is reviewed and updated for charging stations to make electricity costs competitive. It seeks scaling charging infrastructure beyond the capital, Nairobi, integrating charging stations into existing petrol networks and encouraging solar-powered off-grid charging hubs for rural areas.
The policy also incentivises local vehicle assembly, battery manufacturing, and the development of technical skills to create green jobs.
Kenya’s transport sector currently accounts for roughly 13 per cent to 20 per cent of the country’s total GHG emissions, with road transport responsible for 98 per cent of those sectoral emissions. Kenya’s current internal combustion engine (ICE) fleet is heavily dominated by second-hand, imported petrol and diesel vehicles, as well as highly inefficient, older motorcycles used for public transport. These vehicles have terrible fuel economy and lack modern catalytic converters, leading to massive tailpipe emissions (NOx and Particulate Matter) that cause severe urban smog and respiratory issues in cities like Nairobi and Mombasa.
Kenya has a unique global advantage — over 90 per cent of its national electricity grid is powered by renewable energy (geothermal, hydro, wind, and solar). When an EV replaces an older ICE vehicle in Kenya, it isn’t just shifting emissions to a coal plant. Because the grid is clean, an EV in Kenya reduces GHG emissions by up to 70 per cent over its lifecycle compared to a petrol equivalent. Furthermore, running an EV in Kenya is estimated to be 30 per cent to 70 per cent cheaper in Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) than fuelling and maintaining an aging ICE vehicle.
According to the journal Clean Technica, electricity consumption from customers connected to Kenya Power’s E-Mobility tariffs surged 188 per cent in 2025.The nature of this transition is entirely different from Western markets: it is not being driven by luxury passenger cars, but by commercial public transport and two-wheelers.
According to the same source, there are over 35,000 electric vehicles registered in Kenya, with about 33,000 of them being electric motorcycles. The overall motorcycle market in Kenya increased by 145 per cent from 68,804 motorcycles sold in 2024 to 168,286 in 2025. With 25,277 of the motorcycles registered in 2025 being electric, as much as 15.3 per cent of all new motorcycle registrations in Kenya in 2025 were electric.
Motorcycles form the backbone of Kenya’s gig and transport economy. Companies like Roam, Ampersand, and Spiro are successfully deploying thousands of electric motorcycles. According to Tech Cabal Insight, an Africa-Focused Digital Economy Consultancy, Kenyan operators like Roam and Ecobodaa have shown that the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of electric bikes is 30-40 per cent lower than that of petrol counterparts. For a commercial rider, typical earning is between $5 and $10 a day.
Because riders cannot afford to wait hours for a battery to charge, the industry relies heavily on a Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) / battery swapping model. Riders simply swap a depleted battery for a fully charged one in minutes at local kiosks, treating electricity exactly like fuel.
Start-ups like BasiGo are revolutionising urban transit by deploying electric buses on Nairobi’s busy routes. Using a “Pay-As-You-Drive” financing model, these companies allow local bus operators to purchase e-buses without massive upfront battery costs, slowly phasing out the highly polluting diesel matatus.
The ambitious frameworks for local assembly, standardised battery swapping, and zero-rated taxes needs urgent implementation. This will require upscaling of charging infrastructure and affordable financing especially for the commercial gig-workers. This policy is not only an environmental mandate but also one for Kenya to become a clean industrial hub and reduce dependence on imports.