Kenya will start to locally assemble heavy commercial vehicles by the end of the year, Investments, Trade and Industry Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria has announced.
Kuria assured that the country will soon transition fully to reliance on locally assembled vehicles.
“We have the capacity to locally assemble commercial vehicles, especially the big trucks,” he said on Saturday.
He spoke in Mombasa during the launch of Toyota Fortuna local assembly line at Associated Vehicle Assembler.
The CS said the move would create jobs for the youth, in line with the Kenya Kwanza manifesto.
Kuria added that the government is also looking at possibilities of assembling boats locally.
“Simba Motors have assembled a boat that goes for Sh450,000. In normal times, that boat would cost Sh1.5 million,” he stated.
Kuria said he is working closely with Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs ministry to see how the local assembly of boats would be encouraged.
The number of locally assembled vehicles has risen sharply to a record 75.5 per cent of new automotive sales, a record high from the previous peak of 70.6 per cent witnessed in December 2021.
Kenya Motor Vehicle Industry Association data showed that firms including Isuzu East Africa and Simba Corporation assembled 4,174 units out of the total of 5,526 new vehicles sold in the five months to May 2022.
Dealers attributed their increased production to support from the government which has enacted favorable policies besides being one of the biggest buyers of the vehicles.
