40% Of Bolt’s Motorbike Fleet Is Now Electrical, Making It Nairobi’s Largest EV Journey-Hailing Supplier

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Kenya’s electrical motorbike ecosystem is now beginning to flourish due to the onerous work and imaginative and prescient of a number of innovators over the previous 8 years which noticed an amazing alternative to remodel one of many key pillars of the county’s transport panorama. The share of electrical bikes in new motorbike registrations reached 7% in Kenya in 2024. When it comes to the adoption of applied sciences, the 5% threshold is usually thought of the purpose the place issues begin to speed up in these sorts of transitions, and due to this fact the motorbike sector market share being at 7% in 2024 was already thrilling. Given the decrease whole price of possession related to electrical bikes in comparison with their equivalents, this may very well be a key second for electrical bikes in Kenya. Effectively, 2025 is even higher, and to this point, new motorbike registrations in Kenya present that the penetration of electrical bikes is now round 10%. 

The general motorbike gross sales market in Kenya is beginning to get well after a tough couple of years post-COVID 19. The general motorbike market in Kenya had been going by a tough patch the place gross sales of recent bikes in Kenya dropped from a peak of 285,203 in 2021 to only 68,804 in 2024. The newest KNBS Main Financial Indicators Report for August 2025 reveals that for the interval from January 2025 to August 2025, 97,299 bikes had been bought in Kenya. Meaning 28,495 extra bikes had been bought within the first 8 months of the 12 months in comparison with the entire of 2024! With 39% of CO2 emissions in Kenya coming from the transport sector and ICE bikes making up over 50% of automobiles in Kenya, accelerating the adoption of electrical bikes could make an enormous distinction. For instance, if electrical motorbike gross sales in Kenya develop to about 100,000, a fleet of 100,000 can save 85,092 tonnes of CO2 emissions yearly.

Though B2C functions focusing on the two.5 million ICE motorbike boda boda riders presents a big addressable market, B2B partnerships with fleet operators, financiers, and shared mobility platform operators equivalent to ride-hailing firms are additionally a key enabler of the ecosystem. We now have some excellent news from one of many main gamers within the ride-hailing and shared mobility sector. Bolt, a supplier of shared mobility companies firm with operations in over 50 international locations and 600 cities by its on-demand mobility platform, just lately introduced a serious milestone in Kenya’s transition to greener city mobility. Bolt says electrical motorbikes now make up over 40% of its motorcycle fleet, making it the most important provider of electrical bikes within the ride-hailing business countrywide. A number of different shared mobility companies firms are additionally more and more adopting electrical bikes, which is nice and goes to point out the rising confidence main firms are actually having in Kenya’s electrical motorbike sector. 

Bolt additionally confirmed that it has efficiently onboarded over 1,700 M-KOPA-financed riders, reaching its 2025 goal forward of schedule and accelerating the supply of inexpensive electrical mobility for riders throughout the nation. This nice milestone is one other testimony for Kenya’s burgeoning electrical motorbike ecosystem that’s supported by Kenya’s progressive financing panorama.  Lately, one other financier, Watu, reported that the corporate desires to construct on the momentum from 2024, when Watu financed over 2,193 EVs, supported by a rising community of battery swapping stations throughout all main markets.

Watu’s 2025 financing plans and targets financing for Kenya and past are as follows:

• 4,850 bikes in Kenya, with 2,000 of them being electrical. That’s a large 41% electrical share!
• 27,300 bikes in Uganda, with 3,600 of them being electrical. That’s 13% electrical.
• 26,128 bikes in Tanzania, with 300 of them being electrical. That’s 1.1%.

Again to Bolt. Bolt says the expanded adoption of electrical bikes is a part of Bolt’s broader technique to cut back emissions, decrease working prices for riders, and contribute to Kenya’s clear transport ambitions. Bolt provides that the partnership with M-KOPA has enabled riders to entry electrical bikes by versatile financing fashions, enhancing earnings by considerably decreasing gas and upkeep bills.   

Dimmy Kanyankole, Senior Common Supervisor, East Africa, mentioned: “Kenya is on the forefront of unpolluted mobility in Africa, and in the present day’s announcement marks a pivotal step in scaling sensible, inexpensive and sustainable transport options. By reaching over 40% electrical bike penetration and onboarding 1,700 M-KOPA-supported riders, we’re demonstrating that sustainability and improved rider livelihoods can go hand in hand.”

The shift to electrical bikes presents riders each day price financial savings in comparison with petrol motorbikes, whereas additionally reducing carbon emissions in densely populated city centres. With transport representing one of many fastest-growing sources of emissions, EV adoption within the ride-hailing sector is seen as a important lever for nationwide local weather and air high quality targets.

Nena Sanderson, Chief Product Officer and Managing Director, M-KOPA Mobility, famous: “Our partnership with Bolt is proving that when financing boundaries are eliminated, riders are desirous to undertake cleaner and cheaper electrical alternate options. Reaching 1,700 riders is only the start, we’re dedicated to scaling this impression even additional.”

Bolt says its end-of-year information signifies that Kenya continues to display sturdy and accelerating electrification potential, with riders more and more embracing sustainable mobility choices. Bolt’s platform recorded a formidable 4.8 million EV rides over the previous 12 months, highlighting the rising native demand for cleaner transport, and making Kenya the continent’s largest e-mobility milestone. Bolt says it goals to proceed increasing its electrical bike fleet over the following 12 months by new financing partnerships, rider help packages, and strategic collaborations with producers and charging community suppliers.

I’m actually enthusiastic about this as a result of firms like Bolt are key companions and enablers of the ecosystem, and to see them having confidence in electrical bikes, all largely developed and assembled in Kenya, is a key milestone. As extra firms which can be energetic in Kenya’s electrical motorbike sector begin to significantly ramp up manufacturing of their electrical bikes in addition to enhance the footprint of their battery swapping and charging networks, we count on to see the sector beginning to actually make inroads to displace these ICE motorbike gross sales. 

It’s nice to see all this progress. The transition to electrical in key transport segments in locations like Kenya is occurring quicker than most individuals thought. It’s because regionally primarily based firms and their worldwide companions are placing in all of the work to deal with the important thing ache factors and considerations shoppers face.