Kenya to build 1,000 EV chargers in major towns and highways

The government is planning to construct 1,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across the country to facilitate the transition from fossil fuel vehicles as part of transport reforms.

This was revealed in the draft Government Transport Policy 2024 that has been published by the National Treasury for public participation.

The policy contains measures that the State wants to implement to streamline government transport to cut costs, increase efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.

According to the policy, the government will construct 700 EV charging stations in urban areas and 300 along major highways.

The Treasury has further directed that government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) deploy EVs and e-bikes in non-operational areas for cost cutting measures.

“In order to accentuate savings by cutting down on fuel expenditure and maintenance costs, decarbonize fleet operations and reduce carbon emissions, the government shall roll-out the use of electric vehicles (EVs) in non-operational operations,” says the draft policy.

The Treasury’s move comes at a time when the push to decarbonize the transport sector to realize climate change has spurred increased interest in electric mobility in the country, both from the public and private sectors.

The Treasury further said that the government will support the development and roll-out of the EV charging infrastructure and also provide continuous training on the use and operation of EVs.

Kenya has witnessed a rapid growth in the growth of EV in recent years due to rising demand.

Hundreds of EV firms have established in the local market, selling both imported and locally assembled electric cars, buses, three-wheelers and motorcycles.

As of December 2023, 2,694 EVs were registered in Kenya, bringing the cumulative number of registered EVs to 3,753, according to the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA).

“The increase in registered EVs may be attributed to government initiatives such as the introduction of the special e-mobility tariff, reduced excise duty on electric vehicles from 20% to 10%, Value Added Tax (VAT) exemption on fully electric cars and development of charging infrastructure,” said EPRA.

However, challenges such as inadequate charging infrastructure and high upfront cost of purchasing EVs have derailed the switch from fossil fuel cars by motorists.

There exists a number of EV charging and swap stations that have been established mainly in Nairobi by private sector players such as BasiGo and Roam and public firms such as Kenya Power.

However, they are not enough to cater for the growing number of EVs on Kenyan roads, while some motorists have to drive for many kilometers to access the existing charging stations.

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