Africa’s first cross-border electric vehicle convoy to travel from Nairobi to Addis Ababa

A historic 1,600-kilometre electric vehicle (EV) road trip from Nairobi to Addis Ababa is set to begin this Sunday, marking what organisers describe as Africa’s first cross-border EV convoy.

The six-day journey, dubbed “Road to Addis,” is being led by Munja Group in partnership with House of Procurement (HOP) and supported by Kenya Power, the Ministry of Roads and Transport (Kenya), Ethiopia’s Ministry of Transport and Logistics, the Cars Society of Africa, and Eazy Power PLC.

The convoy will depart Nairobi on October 5, travelling through towns and communities in Kenya and Ethiopia before concluding in Addis Ababa on October 10, just ahead of the Africa E-Mobility Week (October 14–16), hosted by the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

Temporary charging stations will be set up along the route to demonstrate the viability of EV travel across borders. Organisers say the initiative aims to spark conversations on sustainable transport corridors, EV leasing models, and carbon credit opportunities as financing tools for wider adoption.

Kenya Power Managing Director and CEO, Dr. Eng. Joseph Siror, said the company is keen to support e-mobility, noting that Kenya currently has more than 6,400 registered electric vehicles.
“E-mobility must extend beyond national borders, and seamless cross-border movement is essential,” he said, adding that Kenya Power is already working to expand charging infrastructure.

The Road to Addis convoy is expected to showcase both the opportunities and challenges of electric transport in Africa, as the continent looks to position itself within the global shift toward cleaner mobility.