Kenya has officially launched the Safiri Electric Program, a national program under the country's two and three-wheeler electric mobility project that aims to accelerate the country's transition to electric vehicles.
The program intends to cut pollution, reduce fuel imports, and create green jobs by converting Kenya's popular two- and three-wheelers from internal combustion engines to electric ones.
According to Rebekah Shirley, deputy director of the World Resources Institute Africa, the project will help improve access to funding for both suppliers and end users.
“We are working with partners, including the Africa Guarantee Fund and others, to look at guarantee mechanisms and credit enhancement mechanisms that make it easier for both sides of that equation to access the finance that they need,” she said.
Shirley stated that the project's goal is to increase Kenya's e-mobility penetration from 5% to 15% within three years, with funds provided by the Mitigation Action Facility, a multi-donor platform.
“Our focus is to transition the electric mobility sector, especially in the two- and three-wheeler market, from an early-stage readiness level to a more advanced, mature market,” she added.
The program comes at a time when Kenya’s electric mobility is reporting significant growth.
Last month, Kenya’s Ministry of Energy and Petroleum announced an ambitious plan to install 10,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across the country, backed by an investment of $47.26 million (Sh6.12 billion).
The project aims to address one of the significant barriers to EV adoption in Kenya: the scarcity of charging infrastructure outside the capital, Nairobi.
While the number of registered EVs in Kenya has surged from 2,694 in 2023 to more than 9,000 in 2025, most charging stations remain concentrated in Nairobi.
This has left drivers in towns like Kisumu, Eldoret, Nakuru, and other regions struggling with limited access, creating what industry observers describe as “range anxiety.”
The Ministry’s plan is designed to decentralise the charging network and ensure EV users can travel confidently across the country.
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