B2B News | Source yadiya linkedin | Yadea has entered the Kenyan electric motorcycle market, and has chosen the 27th Auto Expo Africa in Nairobi as the platform 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 huge commercial ride-hailing sector, particularly the boda boda motorcycle taxi business which forms the backbone of urban transport across the country.
KIFA was developed with business sustainability as a priority. It runs on dual removable 72V 30Ah Lithium Iron Phosphate battery packs, good for a range of up to 150 kilometres, and carries a maximum payload of 250 kg with a reinforced cargo system. The battery-swapping design is central to its appeal for working riders: a depleted pack can be replaced with a fully charged pack in about 30 seconds, keeping downtime to a minimum. To support that infrastructure from launch, Yadea has partnered with Arc Ride, a Kenyan operator that already runs a swapping network in the country.
KIFA wasn’t the only model in the show. Yedia displayed a total of five electric motorcycle variants in Nairobi, including the Keynes, described as a high-performance model, as well as machines aimed at personal commuting and last-mile goods delivery. The price reaches $3,000 depending on the specification. Distribution will be run through local dealerships rather than Yadea’s own retail infrastructure.
Kenya is the brand’s second location in East Africa. Yedia first entered the region via Ethiopia three years ago and has since moved more than 48,000 units there. The broader African push began through Morocco in 2023, and the company now claims distribution partnerships in 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 out depleted packs and replacing them with charged packs at designated stations. To scale from the start, Yadea has partnered with Kenyan operator Arc Ride, which already runs a swapping network in the country.
Yedia’s East Africa market director John Zhang spoke at the expo and described Kenya as central to the company’s regional ambitions. With ten production facilities globally and a claimed user base of over 100 million people in over 100 countries, Yadea holds the position of the world’s largest electric two-wheeler manufacturer by volume.
All images © Yadea – LinkedIn
