What the new green number plates for electric vehicles mean
Motoring
By
Mike Kihaki
| Feb 07, 2026
Kenya has rolled out a new generation of green number plates exclusively for electric vehicles (EVs).
This marks a practical step in the country’s push towards clean mobility and reduced carbon emissions.
The plates were unveiled on Tuesday by Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir, who represented President William Ruto during the launch of the National Electric Mobility Policy.
The introduction of green plates comes four years after the government rolled out digital number plates in 2022, a reform led by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) to enhance vehicle security, curb forgery and improve road safety.
While the earlier digital plates applied to all vehicles, the green plates are specialised identifiers meant solely for electric cars, buses, motorcycles and other battery-powered vehicles.
The green number plates retain all the core security features of Kenya’s digital plates but add new visual and functional meaning.
They are reflective, enhancing visibility at night and in poor weather, and feature a distinctive green background to clearly differentiate electric vehicles from fossil-fuel-powered ones.
Each plate carries a unique serial number linked directly to the vehicle’s chassis, making duplication difficult and improving traceability.
Anti-counterfeit elements such as watermarks, holograms and microchip technology remain embedded, while the plates are fully integrated into the NTSA central database for enforcement, compliance and data tracking.
The lettering format also signals the vehicle category, with prefixes such as “EVA” for electric cars and “EMAA” for electric motorcycles.
Officials have cautioned motorists not to confuse the new plates with the older green “KD” (Kenya Dealer) plates, which are reserved exclusively for vehicle dealers.
According to NTSA, the green plates make it easier for law enforcement, planners and policymakers to identify electric vehicles, laying the groundwork for future incentives such as preferential parking, reduced tolls or priority lanes.
“They support planning, enforcement and policy implementation while maintaining the highest security standards,” the official said.
Speaking during the launch, CS Chirchir urged more than 24,000 electric vehicle owners to begin replacing their current plates progressively.
“You know number plates are only Sh3,000. There’s the cost of production; the materials are not available for producing number plates. You’ll appreciate spending money. So, we’ll ask those of us who are on EV vehicles to progressively move to green number plates; it will only cost you Sh3,000, and we’ll endeavour to accelerate the replacement,” he said.
According to Chirchir the National Electric Mobility Policy seeks to establish an integrated legal, policy and institutional framework for e-mobility.
The CS said the policy will promote local manufacturing and assembly of electric vehicles, expand charging infrastructure, build technical capacity and strengthen fiscal and non-fiscal incentives.
Kenya aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 32 per cent by 2030 in line with the Paris Agreement, with electric mobility identified as a key strategy.
The CS also revealed that the number of electric vehicles in Kenya had grown from just 796 in 2022 to 24,754 in 2025.
“Electric mobility is crucial to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, decreasing reliance on imported fossil fuels, and fostering economic growth through local manufacturing and job creation,” he said.
He further said, the government has already introduced measures such as zero-rating VAT on electric buses, motorcycles, bicycles and lithium-ion batteries, and reducing excise duty on selected EVs.