Yadea makes Kenya debut at 27th Auto Expo Africa
B2B News | Source Yadea LinkedIn | Yadea has entered the Kenyan electric motorcycle market, choosing the 27th Auto Expo Africa in Nairobi as the stage for its debut. The Chinese manufacturer brought its KIFA model to the Carnivore Exhibition Grounds during the three-day event, which ran from 3 to 5 June 2026, targeting Kenya’s vast commercial riding sector, most notably the boda boda motorcycle taxi trade that forms a backbone of urban transport across the country.
The KIFA was developed with commercial durability as the priority. It runs on dual removable 72V 30Ah lithium iron phosphate battery packs, good for up to 150 kilometres of range, and carries a maximum payload of 250 kilograms with a reinforced cargo system to match. The battery-swapping design is central to its appeal for working riders: a depleted pack can be exchanged for a fully charged one in around 30 seconds, keeping downtime to a minimum. To support that infrastructure from launch, Yadea has partnered with Arc Ride, a Kenyan operator already running a swapping network in the country.
The KIFA was not the only model on show. Yadea displayed a total of five electric motorcycle variants in Nairobi, including the Keeness, described as a high-performance model, alongside machines aimed at personal commuting and last-mile goods delivery. Pricing reaches up to $3,000 depending on specification. Distribution will run through local dealerships rather than Yadea’s own retail infrastructure.
Kenya marks the brand’s second foothold in East Africa. Yadea first entered the region through Ethiopia three years ago and has since moved more than 48,000 units there. The wider African push began in 2023 via Morocco, and the company now claims distribution partnerships across more than 20 countries on the continent.
Rather than selling through its own infrastructure, Yadea will rely on local dealerships for Kenyan distribution. Riders will use a battery-swapping system, pulling depleted packs and replacing them with charged ones at designated stations. To make that work at scale from the outset, Yadea has partnered with Arc Ride, a Kenyan operator that already runs a swapping network in the country.
John Zhang, Yadea’s East Africa Market Director, spoke at the expo and framed Kenya as central to the company’s regional ambitions. Yadea holds the position of the world’s largest electric two-wheeler manufacturer by volume, with ten production facilities globally and a claimed user base of over 100 million people across more than 100 countries.
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