The government's target to have electric vehicles on Kenyan roads by 2027 has gained momentum after local start-up company BasiGo obtained a $10 million manufacturing loan.
The US International Development Finance Corporation advance will help the electric vehicle assembling start-up increase its fleet of buses from 24 to 168 by 2025.
Vibhuti Jain, the corporation’s Regional Managing Director for Africa, said this will increase the bus production from five to 20 per month.
The company will produce 1,000 buses in the next three years, an important step towards achieving full e-mobility in the country.
This will help strengthen the manufacturing sector and create more jobs for those involved in the assembly line.
She spoke at Kenya Vehicle Manufacturers in Thika during a tour by the US Ambassador Meg Whitman yesterday.
BasiGo chief executive officer and co-founder Jit Bhattacharya said increased production of electric buses will make urban mobility effective, comfortable and time-saving, as well as address climate change challenges.
He said the assembly line will create more than 300 green manufacturing jobs and boost sustainable green industrialisation in the country.
"This assembly line attests to the important support from the United States. It will help us grow our production capacity and the number of buses delivered," said Bhattacharya.
Whitman underscored the important partnership between the United States and Kenya, assuring that her country would implement trade agreement negotiations.
“Electric vehicles are the future in Africa and the world and green industrialisation and jobs have got to be a big part of Kenya's growth and generation of jobs. We are doing everything we can to help and rely on great entrepreneurs, technicians and companies,” noted Whitman.
This is a huge boost to the country as it continues to make strides in the public transportation sector with the government and the private sector making huge investments to achieve this important step.
