Road and Transport Cabinet Secretary, Kipchumba Murkomen has promised modification of existing road infrastructure to encourage e-Mobility.
Murkomen said this during a meeting at the Ministerial Session on Investing in Green Transportation at the Africa Climate Summit at KICC on Monday.
“Records show that 41 per cent of Nairobi residents use public transport every day, 40 per cent walk to their destinations, while 13 per cent use private or personal cars,” Murkomen said.
Electromobility (or e-Mobility) is a concept that uses electric cars, as well as e-bikes or pedelecs, electric motorbikes, e-buses and e-trucks.
The common feature of all of them is that they are fully or partly driven electrically, have a means of storing energy on board, and obtain their energy mainly from the power grid.
Electric cars are quiet, efficient and low-emission and have mainly been used to date in cities, where they’re ideal for delivery services, taxis and car sharing.
e-Mobility efforts are motivated by the need to address corporate fuel efficiency and emission requirements, as well as market demands for lower operational costs.
Murkomen stated that with that data in mind, the government is working with investors and development partners to offer an infrastructure sector that is modelled to the advantage of the majority population that uses public transport and non-motorised transport even as they work on modifying existing road infrastructure to encourage e-mobility.
The CS mentioned that among the measures they were undertaking included the rollout of a Bus Rapid Transit system (with the first line set to be ready for use by December 2024).
“The initiatives are meant to offer incentives to encourage the purchase of electricity-powered engines, expansion of commuter rail networks with a plan to move to light rail,” Murkomen explained.
The CS further assured the development of non-motorised transport systems and effecting corrective structural adjustments on our roads to reduce road accidents.
