Kenya Power, the country’s electricity distributor, said on Monday that it will invest 1.93 million U.S. dollars in the next three years to spur the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in the country.
Kenya Power Managing Director Joseph Siror said the investment covers the cost of purchasing electric cars and motorcycles to support business activities as well as the establishment of charging stations at various places across the country.
“In addition to our need to charge our electric vehicles, we intend to use our EV charging stations to collect data that will inform the next steps in our support of the growing electric mobility industry,” Siror told journalists in the national capital of Nairobi.
In September 2023, Kenya developed a framework for electric vehicle charging and battery swapping infrastructure to accelerate the adoption of EVs and guarantee the establishment of safe, reliable, accessible, and affordable charging services.
According to the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), EVs accounted for 1.62 percent of the 165,913 vehicles registered in Kenya in December 2023, with the country aiming to reach 5 percent by 2025.
“In addition to the additional charging stations that we intend to install in the current financial year, we intend to install 10 additional facilities annually in 2025 and 2026,” Siror said.
The EPRA said the country’s energy mix is highly conducive to supporting e-mobility, with almost 85 percent of energy generation sourced from renewable channels.
