Ruto says government to introduce electric motorcycles by September

By Ann Veronicah | Jun. 1, 2023 | 1 min read

President William Ruto. [File, Standard]

President William Ruto has announced that he will introduce electric motorcycles by September this year.

Speaking during the 60th Madaraka Day celebration at Moi Stadium in Embu County, Ruto said that by introducing electric motorcycles, Kenyans will be able to own and operate a motorcycle easily.

Additionally, the government is planning to increase the number of electric vehicles, which according to the president, will reduce transport cost for Kenyans.

“By September this year, we will have a mechanism where you can get your boda boda that does not need petrol [and] will be run on electricity. We have to liberate Kenyans from reliance on transport that depends on petroleum. For this reason, we are rolling out an electric vehicle public transport system which will bring down the coast of transport significantly,” said Ruto.

In May this year, Kenya National Bureau of Statistic (KNBS) stated that there has been a decline in the number of motorbikes purchased due to tough economic times.

The Head of State now believes with the high cost of living, solutions like electric motors will help make life bearable as he works on other long-term solutions.

At the beginning of the year, different Matatu Saccos within Nairobi introduced electric buses with the aim of reducing fuel consumption and carbon emission.

According to Basi-GO an electric bus importer, electric vehicles are less costly to maintain when fully charged thus can operate the whole day without recharging.