- Go Electric Limited Regional Managing Director Paul Njeru said there is a global paradigm shift to electrical vehicles mainly to tame the increasing carbon dioxide emissions.
- Kenyan consumers, including corporates and state parastatals, are slowly embracing the use of hybrid electric vehicles.
Image: LOISE MACHARIA
An electric vehicle dealer is revamping its market entry strategies which will result in increased ownership of electric vehicles in Kenya.
Go Electric Limited's efforts come at the height of devastating situations occasioned by the effects of climate change among them erratic rain patterns, drought, floods and desertification.
The Company Regional Managing Director Paul Njeru said there is a global paradigm shift to electric vehicles mainly to tame the increasing carbon dioxide emissions in the Ozone layer.
He added that increased carbon emissions and other greenhouse gases had led to environmental pollution and global warming.
Njeru said Go Electric continued to invest in E-mobility and provide solutions for Kenyans who wanted to own vehicles with less operational costs.
“We are also committed to scaling our operations, distribution infrastructure and expanding our footprint,” he said while announcing the appointment of the company’s new Corporate Director, Eve Maina.
He said Maina joined the team at a time that the company was targeting to tap highly talented C-Suite executives to match their competition who mainly deal in offering fossil-fuel vehicles.
“I have confidence in Maina because of her experience in strategy and vision planning, forging and maintaining partnerships and business positioning," said the Regional Managing Director.
He said her entry would spur electrical mobility growth in Africa as the firm seeks to expand its wing in the Kenyan market and the East African region.
Njeru said Maina was going to use her wide business network that spans North America, Africa, and East and Central Europe to turn around the business for profitable sales.
Maina holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and is a graduate of Stern of Business New York University, USA, and Central European University Business School in Budapest, Hungary.
She is an expert in strategy development with a main focus on emerging and developing markets, financial management, and transnational leadership.
Prior to joining Go Electric Maina served as the CEO of Taxiye Ltd between 2020 and 2021, in charge of strategy and business development of the company’s expansion into the East Africa region.
Njeru said the company launched the first ever fully electric and solar-powered vehicles dubbed UTU in the East African market in an event that was held at Naivasha Buffalo Mall earlier this year.
He stated that the company planned to invest Sh2 billion to import more vehicles and help the country as the global attention shifted to e-mobility.
“Electric vehicles are seen as a game changer in the East African market that has for long been dominated by fossil-fuel vehicles because the new breed of cars come with reduced running costs, in cutting the use of fuel,” he said
Njeru said owners of the EV who want to venture into public transport would save more money than their counterparts because of the reduced engine maintenance costs.
Go Electric's up-scaled effort comes as Kenyan consumers, including corporates and state parastatals, start embracing the use of hybrid electric vehicles.
Kenya Power Company is currently conducting conferences targeting more than 300 stakeholders from finance, energy and transportation sectors as part of its plans to develop a framework for electric motorisation.
Also included in the Kenya Power stakeholders meeting in Nairobi are development partners.