When the Finance Act 2023 opened the door to incentives for electric vehicles, Kenya's motorcycle industry roared through it—and the numbers tell a story of transformation happening faster than most policy shifts usually allow. Annual registrations of electric motorcycles and buses jumped from 4,048 in 2023 to 28,754 by 2025, with electric motorcycles accounting for 90 percent of that surge. But the real measure of change lies in the cumulative figures: from just 1,378 electric vehicles registered before 2023 to 43,324 by 2025, Kenya's electric mobility sector has expanded 31 times over in three years.
This is not abstract progress. The Electric Mobility Association of Kenya (EMAK), a coalition of entrepreneurs, policymakers, academics, and industry experts, recently presented these figures to parliament as the government deliberates the Finance Bill for 2026. What they're asking for is neither radical nor controversial—but it is urgent: policy consistency and continuity.
The concern stems from Kenya's annual cycle of Finance Bills, which can reshape entire industries with each legislative session. Some bills build on previous progress; others roll back initiatives that were working. EMAK argues that the sector needs stable ground to scale. Beyond that, they want the incentive framework applied uniformly across all electric vehicle segments, not just motorcycles and buses. Picture, they suggest, what could happen if electric cars, trucks, and tuk-tuks received the same support that transformed the motorcycle market.
President William Ruto recently announced plans to remove import duties on 100,000 electric vehicles, a proposal EMAK describes as potentially the largest fiscal commitment to e-mobility in Kenya's history. Yet details remain sparse, and no timeline for implementation has been shared. The association's call is clear: when and if this duty-free quota becomes law, it must span all vehicle types—not just passenger cars, but trucks and tuk-tuks too—to level the playing field for segments that have lagged behind motorcycles.
The economic impact already visible tells why this matters beyond environmental headlines. Kenya's electric mobility sector has become a genuine job creator. The industry has moved decisively past the pilot stage; electric motorcycles now capture over 15 percent of all new motorcycle registrations in Kenya, a figure that signals mainstream adoption rather than early enthusiasm. This is a market becoming real.
The backdrop makes the timing feel less coincidental than urgent. Global fossil fuel markets remain volatile, vulnerability exposed by Middle East conflicts. Energy security and energy efficiency are no longer abstract policy goals—they're concrete necessities. Kenya, with an emerging electric mobility industry gaining momentum, sits at a crossroads where consistent support could anchor a sector with genuine economic and environmental returns.
What EMAK is asking parliament and the government to recognize is straightforward: the 2023 Finance Act worked. It worked so well that rolling back pieces of it, or failing to extend its logic to other vehicle segments, would mean leaving enormous potential on the table. Consistency in policy doesn't require reinventing wheels; it means keeping successful ones turning.