Electric mobility could help us breathe better

Dr Jackline Lidubwi, Air Quality Communication Expert, Journalist, and Lecturer at Africa Nazarene University/FILE

Every morning, I step into Nairobi traffic like millions of others. The exhaust smell is sharp. My eyes sting. By the time I reach work, my chest feels heavy. This is normal for many of us who live, work, sell, study, or commute in this city. Nairobi’s air pollution is no longer something we read about in reports. It is something we breathe every day.

That is why the launch of Kenya’s National Electric Mobility Policy matters. For Nairobi, this is not just about new vehicles or technology. It is about health and whether our children, commuters, street vendors, and traffic police can breathe cleaner air.

Transportation is one of the biggest sources of air pollution in Nairobi. Cars, buses, matatus, motorcycles, and trucks emit fumes containing tiny particles that can reach deep into our lungs. These pollutants are linked to asthma, heart disease, and other serious illnesses. People who spend long hours on the road are the most exposed.

Electric vehicles offer a simple but powerful advantage. They do not emit exhaust fumes where people live and work. That means less pollution on busy roads, in estates, and in the city center.

Victor Indasi, the Breathe Cities Initiative Lead in Kenya, says cutting pollution at street level is one of the fastest ways cities like Nairobi can improve air quality and protect public health. In Nairobi, the initiative is supporting expanded air quality monitoring and data-driven planning, efforts that align closely with the National E-Mobility Policy 2026.

Indasi notes that the Breathe Cities Initiative is targeting a 30 percent reduction in urban air pollution, and that scaling up electric vehicles under the new policy could directly address the city’s biggest source of pollution, the transport sector. health.

What makes this policy important is that it moves Kenya beyond small pilots. It creates a national plan that addresses charging infrastructure, incentives, standards, skills, and local innovation. This matters because cleaner air will not come from a few private electric cars. It will come from transforming high-use vehicles, such as buses, motorcycles, and commercial fleets.

At the county level, the link between transportation and air quality is clear. Maurice Kavail, Deputy Director of Climate Change and Air Quality Monitoring at Nairobi City County, has noted that transportation emissions are among the main drivers of poor air quality in the city. Reducing these emissions can quickly lower the pollution people are exposed to every day.

Public transport operators also see the opportunity. Charles Aholi, CEO of the Nairobi Public Transport Alliance (NAPTA), says electric buses and motorcycles can reduce fuel and maintenance costs while improving air quality. But he is clear that this will work only if operators are supported with proper infrastructure, financing, and clear policies. Clean transport must also make economic sense.

Still, a national policy alone will not clean Nairobi’s air. Implementation is key. Ibrahim Nyangoya Auma, the County Executive Committee Member for Mobility and Works at Nairobi City County, describes the launch of the Kenya E-Mobility Policy as a major turning point for the city’s transport future. He says the policy provides a clear framework to reduce transport emissions, improve air quality, and accelerate Nairobi’s shift toward a cleaner, more efficient mobility system.

According to Nyangoya, the county is already operationalising this transition through an electric vehicle charging framework, integrated planning, licensing, route rationalisation, enforcement of standards, and sustained public education.

He emphasises that electric mobility must be part of a broader mobility system that prioritises efficient public transport, non-motorised transport, and effective traffic management, adding that Nairobi City County will play a central role in ensuring the transition supports inclusive growth, healthier streets, and a resilient, low-carbon urban future.

Equity must also be central to this transition. Electric mobility should not be limited to a few people. Boda boda riders, matatu operators, and everyday commuters must be included. These are the people most exposed to air pollution. If the transition leaves them behind, Nairobi will continue to suffer.

The National Electric Mobility Policy offers Nairobi a real chance to change direction. If implemented with urgency and care, it can reduce pollution and improve health in ways people can feel in their daily lives.

Cleaner air is not a luxury. It is a basic need. For a city that struggles to breathe, electric mobility could be one step toward relief.

The writer is an Air Quality Communication Expert, Journalist, and Lecturer at Africa Nazarene University