The government, through the Ministry of Transportation, has released a draft of the National E-Mobility Policy. The move has been hailed as important in the push for more local manufacturing and assembly of electric vehicles (EVs).
When enacted, the policy will require vehicle assemblers and manufacturers to comply with zero-emission vehicle sales targets and adopt specific investment policies to gain government incentives or subsidies.
Bottom-up Economic transformation for economy and environmental growth
Speaking at the launch, Kipchumba Murkomen, the Cabinet Secretary of the Ministry of Transport, emphasized on the importance of the adoption of e-mobility, with climate awareness and socio-economic progress in mind.
“…the shift to electric vehicles significantly cuts emissions of greenhouse gases while reducing the petroleum import bill, currently standing at KES 628.4 billion ($4.8 billion). It will also promote local manufacturing and create jobs.” – Kipchumba Murkomen, Transport Cabinet Secretary
Furthermore, the draft policy aims to develop and foster the adoption of legal and regulatory framework to facilitate EV adoption.
Green number plates for EVs…
Furthermore, in a bid to promote the adoption of electric vehicles, Murkomen confirmed the issuance of green number plates to EVs in Kenya. The number plates will be issued to both vehicles and motorcycles so as to enable their drivers to gain cheaper access to parking, amongst other incentives by both national and county governments.
Developing skills in tertiary institutions
Key amongst the key policies in the draft is the need for incorporating the technical know-how into various learning institutions. Places like polytechnics and colleges will offer much needed EV-related courses in their curricula to equip youth with marketable EV skills in the ever-changing job market.
