Kisumu Governor Anyang Nyong'o on Tuesday, May 25, launched electric motorbikes that will be used by county government officials in service delivery.
The county head revealed that the motorcycles would be used by village administrators in the county on their official business.
The vehicles were donated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and are aimed at helping the country's move towards green energy.
"These bikes, donated by our friends at UNEP, will help control carbon emissions into the environment. We will soon start assembling many such bikes here in Kisumu.
Electric motorcycles have a much lower operating cost than internal combustion engines. They also have a speed limit of 45km/h.
United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) had shipped in 99 electric motorbikes, which were to be distributed across East Africa as the organisation kicked off the first-ever public-private sector electric mobility pilot projects in the region, ushering in East Africa’s EV revolution.
"Electric motorcycles not only mitigate against this health hazard but also help reduce noise pollution that the rampant increase of petroleum-powered motorbikes currently causes in our cities," Nyong'o observed.
According to the organisation, the number of Kenya's newly registered motorcycles, commonly used as taxis (boda-boda), was estimated in 2018 at 1.5 million and will likely grow over five million by 2030.
UNEP's Electric Mobility Program promotes the transition of low-income countries to zero-emission vehicles, in line with the UN Environment Assembly's Air Quality Resolution and the Paris Agreement.
Kisumu City had earlier launched an ambitious transport plan dubbed the Sustainable and Resilient Mobility Plan.
The Institute for Transport and Development Policy (ITDP) and United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) came up with a ten-year plan which mainly seeks to decongest the city.
The county head also announced a Car Free Day in the city to allow pedestrians to go about their business within Kisumu Central Business District (CBD) safely without interruption or danger from motorists.
At the same time, public transportation vehicles had been banned from operating in the CBD and had been given till a specific period to vacate the area.
A number of Kenyans have switched to electric vehicles, with the devices growing in popularity within Nairobi city. A recent survey indicated that there were 300 electric vehicles in Kenya as of 2019.
