Kenya has taken a fresh step toward cleaner transport with the rollout of distinct green number plates exclusively for electric vehicles.
The plates were officially introduced on Tuesday at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) by Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir, who represented President William Ruto at the event. The move is aimed at visually identifying electric vehicles on Kenyan roads while reinforcing the country’s shift toward sustainable mobility.
Addressing motorists, Chirchir called on the more than 24,000 electric vehicle owners to gradually transition to the new green plates. He explained that the replacement would cost Sh3,000, noting that production materials for number plates are limited and replacements will therefore be done progressively.
“Number plates are not free to produce. The materials are scarce, and that is why we are asking EV owners to change gradually. The cost is only Sh3,000, and we will work to ensure the process moves faster,” he said.
Pressed on whether the green plates come with incentives, the CS clarified that the initiative is more symbolic than financial. “These plates are good optics for our country. They help us appreciate the direction we are taking as a nation,” Chirchir remarked.
Alongside the unveiling of the plates, the CS also launched Kenya’s National E-Mobility Policy. Reading the President’s speech, Chirchir said the policy is designed to establish a clear legal, institutional and regulatory framework to support the growth of electric mobility.
The policy aims to boost local manufacturing and assembly of electric vehicles, expand charging and related infrastructure, build technical expertise, and introduce fiscal and non-fiscal measures to accelerate adoption of clean transport solutions.
Africa’s electric vehicle market is projected to expand by 27 per cent over the next 15 years, with Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda and Uganda accounting for nearly 60 per cent of EV sales in sub-Saharan Africa. Officials say Kenya’s strategic position, innovation capacity and growing interest in clean energy place it at the centre of the region’s e-mobility future.
