Kenya’s Boda Boda Riders Drive USD 2.9 M EV Charging Boom For State Utility
Frederick Wanyonyi spent six years ferrying passengers through the lakeside city of Kisumu on a petrol-powered motorcycle, watching fuel costs slowly eat away his profits and his ability to support his family. Today, the 34-year-old rides an electric motorcycle supplied by Spiro Kenya, and his math has changed dramatically.
“Previously, I would spend more than KES 500.00 every day on fuel alone. Now I spend about KES 290.00 on battery swapping and I am able to save more money for rent, school fees and food,” Wanyonyi told Kenya News Agency.
Across Kenya, millions of informal transport workers like Wanyonyi are voting with their wallets. And their shift is quietly rewriting the earnings of the country’s state-owned utility.
On Thursday, Kenya Power announced cumulative revenue of KES 382 M (approximately USD 2.9 M) from electric vehicle (EV) charging over the past 34 months, as electricity sales to the e-mobility sector grew more than 113-fold between July 2023 and April 2026. Monthly EV charging revenue rose from KES 874 K (roughly USD 6.7 K) in July 2023 to a peak of KES 35 M (USD 271 K) in February 2026, according to the utility’s E-mobility Sales Growth Analysis Report.
The growth is being driven not by wealthy consumers in Teslas, but by the two-wheeled backbone of Kenya’s economy. Data from the Electric Mobility Association of Kenya shows the country had registered over 35,000 EVs by the end of 2025, up from just 796 units three years earlier, with two- and three-wheelers dominating the market. Riders report lower daily running costs, fewer mechanical breakdowns, and more predictable expenses compared to petrol alternatives.
For Kenya Power, which sources over 90% of its electricity from renewables, the e-mobility boom presents a rare strategic alignment as it grows electricity demand without expanding fossil fuel dependency. Under the utility’s e-mobility tariff, customers pay KES 16.00 per unit during peak hours and KES 8.00 during off-peak hours, incentivising overnight charging that helps balance grid load.
Yet infrastructure remains the sector’s Achilles’ heel. “When electricity goes off, business slows down because batteries cannot be charged,” said John Mark, who manages a battery-swapping station in Kisumu, pointing to a challenge that persists even as Kenya Power rolls out new charging stations from Voi to Nyali.
The utility plans to introduce more EV-friendly tariffs and expand its own electric fleet to 20 vehicles and 100 bikes by the end of 2026. But the real story is unfolding on the roads where hundreds of thousands of boda boda riders are making a calculation that requires no government subsidy.
Wanyonyi already did the math. “With these bikes, servicing is less frequent,” he said. “Maintenance has reduced considerably”.
Feature Image Credits: Ethical Business Africa
