President William Ruto has witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Government of Kenya and Endelevu Enterprise Corporation at State House, Nairobi, for a proposed $3 billion (about Sh390 billion) project to manufacture and assemble electric vehicles locally, as the government pushes to stop importing finished vehicles and keep more jobs and value in Kenya.
China’s Geely Auto Group is the strategic manufacturing partner. Ruto described Geely as a Fortune Global 500 company with annual revenues of about $50 billion, operating in 88 countries and regions.
Under the plan, one plant would assemble up to 50,000 four-wheel vehicles a year, while another would produce up to 100,000 two-wheelers and light-mobility vehicles annually.
The project also includes 1,000 solar-powered charging hubs and a digital platform able to manage up to 100,000 green vehicles.
Ruto said Kenya has paid in hard currency for imported vehicles and fuel and is determined to change that equation.
He added that every electric vehicle on the road cuts the fuel import bill and eases pressure on foreign exchange reserves. Kenya expects investment, industrial capacity, jobs for young people, contracts for small businesses, and the transfer of technology and skills, he said, and hopes to build vehicles for the wider African market too.
Ruto said the project would create about 2,000 direct jobs and more than 20,000 indirect jobs, plus 80,000 opportunities in fleet management.
The deal builds on policies already in place. Kenya launched its National Electric Mobility Policy in February 2026, Ruto announced on May 22 that the first 100,000 imported electric vehicles would enter duty-free and the government has ordered 3,000 electric vehicles for security and administration officers.
Ruto also directed the Kenya Investment Authority to fast-track approvals, land and infrastructure so the project moves from signature to production quickly.
He linked the investment to the Dangote refinery in Lamu as part of Kenya’s industrialisation agenda.
A memorandum of understanding is not a binding contract, and the reports did not give plant locations, financing details or a production timeline.
