KENYA – Basigo, an electric mobility start-up, has completed its first locally assembled bus in partnership with Kenya Vehicle Manufacturers.

E9 Kubwa E-Buses arrived as parts from their original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partner, CHTC MOTOR CO., LTD. They were built with weeks of dedication and attention to detail by the BasiGo and KVM manufacturing teams.

BasiGo and KVM are collaborating to launch Kenya’s first high-volume E-Bus assembly line. This dedicated assembly line will deliver 1000 high-quality, locally assembled electric buses to Kenyan bus operators in the next 3 years, creating 300 green manufacturing jobs.

“Since BasiGo was founded, we committed to our electric buses being locally manufactured in Kenya. Today, we are proud to share that we have completed assembly of our first locally built with our partners at Kenya Vehicle Manufacturers!” Basigo said in their LinkedIn post.

“Kenya has the potential to be a leader in the manufacturing/assembly of modern EV’s. BasiGo and KVM are making that a reality, and each bus we produce here will proudly bear the mark.”

Basigo had in January last year partnered with Associated Vehicle Assemblers Ltd (AVA) to assemble its buses in Mombasa as demand for electric vehicles is forecasted to rise in the coming years.

Under the deal, AVA was to assemble 33-seater buses as the company seeks to phase out 25-seater buses used in its pilot project.

The companies project to make over 1,000 electric buses in the next three years, creating over 300 jobs in manufacturing, charging, maintenance, and financing.

BasiGo shipped 15 partially assembled 25-seater electric buses in 2022, which AVA completed building in January last year.

The firm has been piloting two buses since March 2022 with Citi Hoppa and East Shuttle, plying the North Airport Road to Allsops, Thika Road and the Dandora–City Stadium routes.

BasiGo plans to grow its revenue by installing electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the next two years.

The Thika-based Kenya Vehicle Manufacturers (KVM) was also awarded a contract to assemble Basigo’s competitor Roam’s first fully electric shuttle bus dubbed Roam Move in September last year.

Roam was seeking to benefit from tax incentives as those assembling electric vehicles in the country enjoy a raft of tax incentives including zero percent excise duty, 10 percent import duty and zero-rated value-added tax (VAT).

The Roam bus is equipped with a 170 kilowatts per hour (kWh) battery pack and a 51-passenger capacity.

KVM’s shareholders are the National Treasury with a 35 percent stake, CMC (32.5 per cent) and DT Dobie (32.5 per cent). It puts together multiple vehicle brands including those from Urysia (Peugeot) and CFAO Motors (Volkswagen).

The 13.5 tonnes shuttle bus charges for one and a half hours. It is aimed at the matatu (public service vehicle) market. The company also assembles motorcycles and a mass transit bus dubbed Roam Rapid.

Roam, a Swedish-Kenyan electric vehicle firm, opened a plant along Nairobi’s Mombasa Road that it expects to assemble up to 50,000 motorcycles per year in the medium term.

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