In line with the government’s “Green Transport” initiative, which aims to increase e‑mobility in the country, Kenya has introduced new regulations for imports of used electric vehicles, a first in Africa.
In a statement published last week, the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), the country’s import regulator, announced that no second-hand electric vehicles with a battery life of less than 80% will be allowed to be imported into the country. By way of comparison, manufacturers generally guarantee batteries for 8 years when they reach a range of less than 70%.
Under this new directive, KEBS has targeted electric cars from Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Singapore, South Africa, and the United Kingdom — the main exporters of used vehicles to Kenya. These countries are now subject to a rigorous pre-inspection process conducted by Quality Inspection Services Inc (QISJ), the KEBS-appointed inspection agent for motor vehicles.
This measure is part of President William Ruto’s ‘Green Transport’ government initiative, which aims to significantly reduce carbon emissions: Kenya has set itself the target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 32% by 2030 by encouraging the development and use of electric vehicles.
In just a few years, the East African country has established itself as a world leader in renewable energy: almost 90% of its electricity comes from green sources. Since the 1980s, the government has focused on geothermal energy, which now generates a third of the country’s electricity.
According to the National Transport and Safety Authority, there were an estimated 1,350 electric vehicles registered in Kenya in February 2023, a figure that the government would like to increase as quickly as possible.
“We need strict regulations”
Last September, BasiGo, a supplier of electric buses, claimed to have prevented the emission of 217.4 metric tons of carbon dioxide in just two years. Fredrick Mutitika, head of Product Marketing and Operations at BasiGo, told the Kenyan Daily Nation a few months ago that the company has put in place an innovative financing structure for electric buses, with a purchase price of 7.5 million shillings (just over 51,000 dollars) and a rental service of 40 shillings per kilometer ($0.27), which covers the charging and maintenance services provided by BasiGo.
A few weeks ago, Roam Electric, a Kenyan start-up specializing in electric motorbikes, raised 24 million dollars to increase its production. The Roam Air electric motorbike is priced at 1,500 dollars for a single-battery model and 2,050 dollars for a dual-battery model, with a range of 140 kilometers.
As Jesse Forester, founder of Mazi Mobility, a direct competitor to Roam Electric, explains, electric motorbikes could become more popular among drivers if the government offered the promised incentives. “Simplifying the import process for e‑mobility companies would help. Fuel-powered motorbikes are currently more affordable with prices as low as Sh90,000,” he noted in an interview with the Kenyan daily Nation.
One of the main challenges Jesse Forester foresees is mechanical waste, which he believes will increase as more and more vehicle users switch to electric. “Very few African countries have a used vehicle policy. Kenya has one policy where a car over eight years old since the date of its first registration cannot be imported into the country. This will be different for electric vehicles because the battery degrades over time. We need strict regulations on which second-hand electric vehicles should be let into the country,” he explained last September.
Only nine African countries have a regulatory framework
The global fleet of light commercial vehicles is expected to at least double by 2050, according to a report from the United Nations Environment Program. Around 90% of this growth will take place in non-OECD countries which import large numbers of used vehicles. Despite the critical role they play in road accidents, air pollution, and efforts to mitigate climate change, there is currently no regional or global agreement on the trade and flows of second-hand vehicles.
While 60% of annual registrations in Africa concern used vehicles, only nine countries out of 54, or around 17%, have a “good” or “very good” regulatory framework for their imports. The UN report recalls that countries, such as Kenya, have put in place incentive measures for the importation of used electric vehicles, and have favored the move towards cleaner transport, before concluding that the regulations should be gradually strengthened over the coming decade and that low- or no-emission used vehicles should be encouraged as an affordable way for low- and middle-income countries to access advanced technologies.
The Kenyan government recently announced a list of incentives to promote the local manufacturing of e‑mobility products and the establishment of 1,000 charging stations across the country. During his speech on the celebrations of the 60th Madaraka Day, the anniversary of Kenya’s independence, President William Ruto notably pledged to guarantee low-cost financing for the purchase of electric vehicles and the installation of charging stations.
Electric vehicles… without electricity
The “Green Transport” initiative, initiated by William Ruto, however, faces a major challenge: the fragility of the electricity networks.
Although Kenya has worked to improve access to the electricity grid, having more than doubled the electricity access rate from 32% in 2013 to 75% of households in 2022, power outages and major electricity losses regularly hit the country. In the most recent incident last December, a widespread outage paralyzed a large part of the country, affecting many vital installations, including the capital’s main airport. The Minister of Transport had called for an investigation into the matter.
In a similar outage last November, it took engineers more than 12 hours to restore power to most parts of the country.
However, the most significant breakdown occurred on August 25th. The cause remains shrouded in mystery, as the electricity company points fingers at a failure in the largest wind farm in Africa, while the wind farm, in turn, blames the electricity network. In certain regions, particularly in Nairobi, it took nearly 24 hours to fully restore power.
On social media, Kenyans regularly call out electricity company Kenya Power over frequent local power outages, while others mock the agency, saying the country is becoming like Nigeria and South Africa, where electricity rationing is commonplace.
The power outages coincide with the country’s struggle with soaring fuel prices, causing millions of dollars in losses for businesses and the broader economy, which is currently experiencing serious difficulties.
