Kenya Power To Invest KSh 258 Million In Electric Cars, Bikes, Charging Stations

• Kenya Power has announced a significant investment of up to KSh 258 million over the next three years aimed at driving the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) nationwide
• Joseph Siror, Kenya Power's managing director & CEO, emphasised the company's commitment to spearheading the transition towards electric mobility
• Kenya Power plans to install nine more charging stations by July 2024 at various company offices nationwide, in addition to the one at Stima Plaza

Elijah Ntongai, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, has more than three years of financial, business, and technology research expertise, providing insights into Kenyan and global trends.

Kenya Power has announced a significant investment of up to KSh 258 million over the next three years aimed at driving the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs).

This investment includes the establishment of EV charging stations at various locations nationwide and the procurement of electric vehicles and motorcycles to support the company's operations.

Kenya Power's managing director & CEO, Joseph Siror, made the announcement and emphasised the company's commitment to spearheading the transition towards electric mobility.

"The future of transport in electric and as a company, we are very excited to be leading the conversations around E-mobility. Alongside our need to charge our electric vehicles, we intend to use our EV charging stations to collect data that will inform the next steps of our support to the growing E-mobility industry," said Siror in a press release.

Kenya Power EV chargers available

As part of its initial efforts, Kenya Power has inaugurated an EV charging station at Stima Plaza, a facility constructed at a cost of KSh 6.5 million.

This station features two chargers: a 50 kW DC charger capable of fully charging a vehicle in one hour and a 22 kW AC charger with a two-hour charging time.

This is Kenya Power's second EV charging station, following a similar installation at the Ruaraka Depot, which serves as the company's transport hub.

In addition to the Stima Plaza station, Kenya Power plans to install nine more charging stations by July 2024 at various company offices across the nation, including locations in Nairobi, Nakuru, Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret, among others.

Siror revealed that the company has allocated an annual budget of KSh 20 million to establish EV charging infrastructure at all its offices, with further expansions planned for subsequent years.

"We have set aside an annual budget of KSh 20 million to set up EV charging stations at all our offices across the country. Beyond the additional charging stations that we intend to put up in the current financial year, we intend to install 10 additional facilities annually in 2025 and 2026," said Siror.

Alongside the deployment of charging infrastructure, Kenya Power has acquired two heavy-duty electric vehicles at a cost of KSh 18 million.

These vehicles mark the beginning of the company's transition towards electric-powered transportation for its operational needs.

Kenya Power intends to expand its electric vehicle fleet by purchasing an additional nine electric vehicles, both heavy and light-duty, as well as 25 electric motorcycles by the end of December 2024.

Kenya Power to buy 700k metres

In other related news, Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) will continue with its plan to buy new meters after the High Court gave its nod.

Justice Jairus Ngaah dismissed a suit filed by Niavana Agencies Limited, which had faulted KPLC for restricting the tender to local manufacturers.

KPLC's customers increased to over 9.4 million in the first half of the 2023/24 financial year after adding 256,296 connections.

Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, a multimedia journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke