Nairobi SACCO leads with all-electric bus fleet to CBD

Nairobi SACCO leads green transit with 12 electric buses on Kariobangi South-CBD route, aiming for 30 by 2026. [File, Standard]

A Nairobi SACCO has become the first in the city to operate an all-electric bus fleet on a key route, running 12 electric buses between Kariobangi South and Nairobi Central Business District (CBD).

OMA Services Limited CEO and Director George Githinji said, “Every time we acquire an electric bus, we retire a diesel one. By 2026, we aim to have 30 electric buses in our fleet.”

The SACCO has reserved 67 more electric buses from BasiGo, a Nairobi-based e-mobility company.

OMA adopted BasiGo’s Pay-As-You-Drive lease model requiring a Sh1.5 million deposit and a mileage fee of Sh65 to Sh75 per kilometre, allowing operation without large upfront payments.

 “There was a time when there was no power. If the vehicle isn’t charged, it’s grounded. That’s the major challenge. However, for the last two and a half years since I acquired the e-buses, everything else has been manageable,” said Githinji.

In April 2024, BasiGo opened Kenya’s first electric bus assembly plant with Kenya Vehicle Manufacturers to assemble 1,000 buses over three years. So far, 65 electric buses run in Kenya and Rwanda.

BasiGo Kenya Managing Director Moses Nderitu said the government has been lenient enough to allow "us to enjoy the incentive even as we ramp up production", referring to tax waivers for vehicles with 30 per cent local content.

 “We have to get to the place where, like in Rwanda, charging at home qualifies for lower electricity tariffs. Encouraging off-peak charging would boost EV adoption and improve power grid efficiency,” he explained.

The move faces a challenge from the Finance Bill 2025, which proposes changing electric vehicles from zero-rated to VAT-exempt status, a shift that could raise prices and slow Kenya’s electric transport transition.