E‑Safiri: Building East Africa’s Next Generation of Clean Mobility

Across East Africa, boda boda riders, tuk‑tuk operators, fish traders, and women-led community groups form the backbone of the everyday economy. Yet affordable, reliable, and clean mobility has long remained out of reach, especially outside major cities.

In 2022, Carol Ofafa set out to change that.

E‑Safiri was founded to make clean mobility practical for the people who need it most. The company combines solar-powered charging, battery swapping for electric 2‑ and 3‑wheelers, and productive‑use energy services such as cold storage and ice making — all managed through a simple mobile platform integrated with M‑Pesa, a mobile money service used across Africa.

What began as a question during Carol’s postgraduate studies has grown into one of East Africa’s most promising clean‑mobility infrastructure models.

How E‑Safiri Began: From a Postgraduate Idea to Real‑World Infrastructure

The idea for E‑Safiri emerged in 2018, when Carol kept asking herself: How do we make electric mobility truly work for communities with weak grids, unpredictable incomes, and livelihoods that depend on every minute of uptime?

The answer was clear: build the infrastructure first — then EVs become viable.

E‑Safiri’s model centres on solar‑powered charging and battery‑swapping hubs, providing:

• Rapid swaps under three minutes

• Reliable power independent of the grid

• Digital services such as location tracking, payments, and battery monitoring through an M‑Pesa integrated app

• High‑uptime mobility services paired with productive-use solutions like ice-making and cold storage, particularly valuable for fish value chains around Lake Victoria

These hubs are designed as community energy nodes, ensuring that clean mobility connects directly to improved livelihoods.

As of February 2026, E‑Safiri has:

• Saved over 800 metric tonnes of harmful emissions

• Created more than 150 jobs

• Established operating sites across Dunga Beach, Kisumu CBD, Mamboleo, Awuoth (Nyamasaria), Gita, Mbita, and Kiumba

The company’s PAYGo model lowers upfront costs for riders, while battery swapping ensures efficiency and reliability — two critical factors in informal transport economies.

EEP Africa: Catalysing E‑Safiri’s Early-Stage Growth

EEP Africa played a pivotal role in accelerating E‑Safiri’s journey through catalytic early-stage financing.

SolarRide Project Support

EEP Africa provided EUR 225,129 (total project budget: EUR 310,613) to launch SolarRide, a project establishing two solar-powered hubs in Kisumu and Homa Bay for:

• EV fleet charging

• Battery swapping

• Ice making and cold storage for fish traders

• PAYGo systems enabling riders to access and eventually own EVs

This form of risk‑tolerant, early-stage capital is often unavailable to local innovators developing first-of-a-kind infrastructure outside capital cities.

Beyond Financing: A Full Ecosystem of Support

EEP Africa strengthened E‑Safiri’s growth through:

• Technical assistance: Introducing the company to GET.invest advisory support

• Networking and investor facilitation: Increasing visibility and investor readiness

• Capacity building: Bootcamps, pitch interviews, and detailed proposal feedback that sharpened E‑Safiri’s execution and impact clarity

This holistic support helped E‑Safiri move from concept to well-structured, scalable implementation.

Challenges on the Path to Scaling Electric Mobility

Carol notes that scaling local e‑mobility infrastructure comes with significant challenges:

1. Sector and Market Barriers

• Lack of standardisation, especially around batteries and chargers

• High import costs and limited local manufacturing

• Regulatory ambiguity

These factors create uncertainty for companies trying to build both infrastructure and market awareness simultaneously.

2. Power Reliability Issues

Rural and peri‑urban areas often face unstable electricity. E‑Safiri mitigates this through:

• Solar-first charging

• Centralised hubs rather than home-based charging

• Diversified service offerings (battery swapping, PAYGo, ice sales) that balance uptime and business sustainability

3. Sustainability and Battery Lifecycle Management

E‑Safiri operates with sustainability at its core, implementing:

• Second‑life applications for depleted batteries

• Recycling partnerships with certified facilities

• A long-term vision for a closed-loop system that minimises e‑waste

How the Clean Energy Sector Can Strengthen Innovation

To accelerate growth for companies like E‑Safiri, Carol highlights four key areas:

• Clearer technical standards for safety and interoperability

• Fiscal incentives that reflect the broader societal value of clean mobility

• Investment in real‑world demonstration ecosystems, allowing innovations to be tested and refined under actual market conditions

• Deeper partnerships with counties, rider associations, and communities, ensuring shared ownership, local capacity building, and more resilient operations

Inclusive, community-rooted growth is essential for long-term sustainability.

E‑Safiri’s Vision for the Next Five Years

By 2031, Carol envisions E‑Safiri as a leading force in Kenya’s electric mobility, especially in rural and peri‑urban regions where transport electrification is still limited.

Strategic Goals Include:

• Expanding to up to 100 Safiri hubs

• Supporting around 2,500 electric two‑ and three‑wheelers

• Strengthening digital systems and IoT-driven battery management

• Building local skills in charging systems, battery maintenance, and operations

• Integrating more productive‑use services such as expanded cold‑chain solutions

The goal is not just mobility — it’s livelihoods, safety, and opportunity.

E‑Safiri’s model shows that clean transport can be affordable, reliable, and practical, driven by renewable energy and designed with communities at the centre.

A Clean Mobility Future, Built from the Ground Up

E‑Safiri is building more than charging hubs; it is building a framework for inclusive, sustainable mobility in East Africa. With early catalytic support from EEP Africa and a rapidly growing network around Lake Victoria, the company is proving that clean mobility solutions can thrive far beyond capital cities.

Through thoughtful design, community engagement, and a commitment to local capacity-building, E‑Safiri stands poised to redefine what mobility looks like for thousands of riders, traders, women, and youth across the region.

For more information on their impact, visit their website at www.esafiri.com.