The East African country of Kenya has launched a nationwide programme worth 6 billion Kenyan shillings (around 39.5 million euros) to build charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, with the aim of establishing at least 10,000 public charging stations by 2030.
According to a strategy paper from the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, Kenya plans to build the country’s charging network in three phases: The first phase will see 1.18 billion shillings invested in charging stations in 17 priority cities and along key transport corridors such as the Mombasa–Busia route. This will be followed by an investment of 1.81 billion shillings to expand the charging network to 23 additional cities. Finally, 3.13 billion shillings are earmarked for connecting district capitals and satellite cities.
The initiative is part of the National Energy Compact 2025–2030 and aims to address the country’s infrastructure deficits that hinder the spread of electric vehicles, especially outside Nairobi.
The plan is now to install charging stations every 25 kilometres along the main motorways. Kenya Power, Kenya’s utility company, is at the forefront of this major project. The company says it will install 45 fast-charging stations in six counties, including Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret and Nyeri, in the first phase of expansion alone. In addition to government spending and direct investment from Kenya Power, the financing model also provides for investment from the private sector.
Last year, the Kenyan government announced that it would begin electrifying government and police fleets at a planned rate of 1,000 electric vehicles per year. While no mention was made of the exact vehicles to be acquired, President William Ruto refers to a 300 km range and a 2-day charge time, likely referring to the AC charging cycle. An improved charging network would significantly improve the downtime for such a fleet.
Last month, the electric bus manufacturer BasiGo announced that it had reached the milestone of having delivered 100 electric buses across Kenya and Rwanda, which would also stand to benefit from the new charging infrastructure. The company has also been selected as the official service partner by Chinese battery manufacturer CATL.
futureofenergy.co.ke, linkedin.com, youtube.com
