The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has granted licensing and registration to a Laikipia-based car manufacturer. Vehicles produced by Sagak Tech Enterprises, including the BJ-50, will now have number plates and logbooks.
On August 23, the County Government of Laikipia announced the licensing of their first six units as they rolled off an assembly line in Nyahururu.
It took the company three years to be in compliance with NTSA requirements to finally be sanctioned to operate on Kenyan roads.
The licensing came at an opportune moment as the company unveiled their pick-up model earlier in 2021. The pickup model has a capacity load of 1 tonne. Both the County Government of Laikipia and the manufacturer expect this model to penetrate Kenya’s transport industry.
This includes haulage for hardware, hoteliers, as well as other merchants in the retail and wholesale trade.
This milestone is a result of concerted efforts from the County Government of Laikipia's innovation and enterprise development program. The state department of Infrastructure was also actively involved in the certification and licensing of the Laikipia-built vehicle.
Currently, the vehicles are sold at a factory price Ksh450,000. This final cost is meant to pay for the Ksh300,000 production cost as well as boost profits for Sagak Tech. The governor has supported this bid as part of an agenda to spur entrepreneurship and innovation in Laikipia. The tagline for this initiative is 'Buy Laikipia, Build Laikipia'.
Sagak Tech Enterprises is currently in the market for a financing partnership of up to 80%. This is aimed at empowering customers with as little as Ksh90,000 to boost their businesses with a unit of the BJ-50 Tuk Tuk.
According to Sagak’s founder, Samuel Njogu, the vehicle’s 150 cylinder capacity (cc) can haul up to 800 kg of luggage. It can carry a maximum of seven passengers and achieve a top speed of 70km/h.
Prior to being a fully-fledged production firm, Sagak Tech was a beneficiary of incubation resources Dedan Kimathi University of Science and Technology (DKUT) in Nyeri county.
Sagak’s maiden BJ-50 model first hit headlines back in March 2019. This was when the Laikipia County Government showcased two examples of it at the 6th devolution conference at Kirinyaga University.
