Rideence Africa Limited, the electric vehicle company behind Kenya’s innovative lease-to-drive model, on Monday, February 2 announced a KSh320 million partnership with the AVA (Associated Vehicle Assemblers) in Mombasa to commence the local assembly of electric vehicles (EVs).
The initial assembly phase will see 152 EVs assembled from Completely Knocked-Down (CKD) kits by the end of February 2026, comprising 132 units of the popular Henrey taxi model and 20 additional Joylong electric high roof matatus.
This scale-up towards local manufacturing follows the proven success of Rideence leasing model, which has seen the company deploying over 180 fully-built EVs from China in the last three years, including 54
matatus and 128 taxis, creating East Africa’s largest electric ride-hailing fleet.
Rideence’s driver-first model leases its flagship Henrey EVs to taxi drivers for KSh2,400 per day. Drivers report spending about KSh400 to charge for a 200km range, a fraction of the over KSh2,000 required for petrol over the same distance.
“Having already invested over KSh1.4 billion in Kenya since 2023, Rideence is strategically transitioning from operator to local manufacturer,” said Minnan Yu, Managing Director of Rideence Africa Limited. “Our vision is to become a leading new energy mobility enterprise ‘Born in Kenya, Serving Africa’. Our
partnership with AVA Factory will push local parts procurement to over 25% by 2026. We are moving
beyond importing solutions to co-creating them locally, building an ecosystem that addresses Kenya’s
specific challenges, from fuel price volatility to the need for skilled jobs.”
The Mombasa assembly project, leveraging AVA’s market-leading position in vehicle assembly, is projected to have a substantial employment multiplier. Rideence has already created 550-680 direct jobs
since 2023, and this new investment phase is expected to drive the creation of at least 3,000 additional direct and indirect jobs in supply chains, charging infrastructure and services.
To build local capacity, the company is providing technical training at its service centres and is in advanced talks with the University of Nairobi to launch dedicated EV technology programmes. A clear localization roadmap aims to source 15-25% of components locally in the short term, with a long-term
vision of 40-60%.
To sustain this growth, Rideence is expanding Kenya’s charging infrastructure, planning to grow from the
current 16 stations to 100 charging locations nationwide by the end of 2026.
“AVA is proud to partner with Rideence as we launch the first fully local assembly of electric vehicles, a
milestone for the country. This partnership delivers Kenya’s first dedicated electric vehicle assembly line,
demonstrating clearly that the country has the capacity and capability to assemble EVs locally at scale.
Through local assembly, we are accelerating the transition to affordable, low-emission transport while
creating jobs, enabling technology transfer, and strengthening Kenya’s industrial base for long-term
economic growth,” said Matt Lloyd, Managing Director AVA.
