Motorbike imports fall 77pc on higher prices, fueling costs
Data shows number of imported motorcycles and cycles fitted with an auxiliary motor fell in nine months to September 2023 by 77.5 percent compared to a similar period in 2022.
The increased cost of motorcycle imports is tied to the depreciation of the Kenya Shilling.
The decline in the demand for motorcycles is likely to be a setback for the Kenya Kwanza administration which had been betting on the sector to lead the transition into e-mobility.
Motorcycle imports fell the sharpest last year as higher import costs resulted in a general decline in consumption of goods ordered from overseas by Kenyan consumers.
According to data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), the number of imported motorcycles and cycles fitted with an auxiliary motor in nine months to September fell by 77.5 percent to 64,041 units from 285,459 units in a similar period in 2022.
