Kenya Power is spearheading the adoption of electric vehicles in the country, unveiling plans to invest up to KES 258 million over the next three years toward setting up charging stations and acquiring electric vehicles and motorcycles for its operations. The move underscores the utility firm’s commitment to promoting sustainable transportation and aligning with Kenya’s broader environmental goals.
The company on Monday unveiled an ambitious investment plan to drive the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) across the nation.
As part of this initiative, Kenya Power has launched an EV charging station at its Stima Plaza headquarters in Nairobi, constructed at a cost of KES 6.5 million. The facility features two chargers – a 50 kW DC charger capable of fully charging an EV in an hour, and a 22 kW AC charger with a two-hour charging time.
“The future of transport is electric, and as a company, we are very excited to be leading the conversations around e-mobility,” said Dr. Eng. Joseph Siror, Managing Director and CEO of Kenya Power. “Alongside our need to charge our electric vehicles, we intend to use our EV charging stations to collect data that will inform the next steps of our support to the growing e-mobility industry.”
Beyond the Stima Plaza station, Kenya Power plans to install nine additional charging facilities across the country by the end of July, including in major cities like Nakuru, Mombasa, and Kisumu. The company has earmarked an annual budget of 20 million Kenyan shillings to establish EV charging stations at all its offices nationwide.
“We intend to install 10 additional facilities annually in 2025 and 2026,” Dr. Siror added, highlighting the company’s long-term commitment to the e-mobility transition.
Complementing the infrastructure investment, Kenya Power has also acquired two electric heavy-duty vehicles for its operations at a cost of KES 18 million. The utility firm aims to further expand its electric fleet by purchasing an additional nine electric vehicles (both heavy and light duty) and 25 electric motorcycles by the end of December 2024.
The developments also align with the government’s broader environmental agenda, which includes initiatives to promote renewable energy sources and curb greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.