Chinese firm begins rollout of EV charging stations in Kenya

NAIROBI -- Chinese firm Moja EV Kenya on Friday commenced the rollout of public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to increase adoption of green transport in Kenya.

Wang Aiping, chief executive officer of Moja EV Kenya, told journalists in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, that the 80 KW DC fast charging stations are expected to enhance convenience of motorists dependent on electricity to power their vehicles. "Our goal is to have 100 charging stations spreading across Kenya by the end of the year," Aiping said.

Wang noted that the stations will charge electric vehicles to full capacity within 15 minutes to 30 minutes thereby reducing downtime and increasing driving range.

According to the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Kenya had 3,753 EVs as of December 2023, constituting 1.62 percent of the vehicles registered in the country.

Maurice Njagi, industrial development officer at the Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry, said that Kenya has put in place supportive policies to incentivize the deployment of EV charging infrastructure to ensure their coverage.

Njagi added that charging stations are granted preferential electricity tariffs from power utilities because of their contribution to green transition in the country.