Roam, the Kenyan electric mobility company, has reached 40% local content in its electric motorcycle manufacturing, measured by share of bill-of-materials value. More than 50 Roam Air components are now made in East Africa, supplied by over 10 Kenyan and Tanzanian companies. Roam's next target is 50% local content by 2027, ahead of new East African Community local-content rules that take effect in July 2027.
Roam has reached 40% local content in its electric motorcycle manufacturing, measured by the share of bill-of-materials value. More than 50 components in the Roam Air are now produced locally and supplied by more than 10 East African companies. The company, founded in 2017 and headquartered in Nairobi, announced the milestone on 1 October 2026.
The headline number hides a faster shift. Lead times for cowlings and body parts, once sourced from India, have fallen from 18 weeks to 2 weeks since they moved to local production. A replacement body-parts kit is now almost 40% cheaper than when imported.
What does 40% local content actually mean?
The figure is measured by the share of bill-of-materials value, the stricter standard. It counts the value of components, not the number of parts bolted on. A bike assembled locally from imported parts can still be 0% local on that measure. Roam is reporting progress against the harder yardstick.
Local manufacturing puts Roam's engineers and suppliers closer to the riders, so road feedback reaches the people designing the vehicle. The company says it has worked more closely with suppliers to refine products and develop components suited to African operating conditions.
Who is making the components?
More than 50 components are produced locally, including seats, harnesses, rims, helmets, footrests, brackets, cowling and electrical components. They are supplied by more than 10 Kenyan and Tanzanian companies.
The benefits are extending beyond Roam's own motorcycles. Riders outside the Roam network are now buying locally produced components and accessories, including helmets, side mirrors, rims, cowling, stands and electrical components. Roam says the parts can be used across other brands in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia.
What matters to me is how quickly I can fix my bike and get back to work. When the parts are available locally, you spend less time waiting for a repair and less time off the road.
Fred Omoro, boda boda rider, Ruaraka, Nairobi
What is Roam targeting next?
Roam's next target is 50% local content, starting with bringing the motorcycle chassis into local production. The move comes ahead of the East African Community's Assembling and Manufacturing of Products Regulations, 2025, which take effect on 1 July 2027. Those rules define local content and require manufacturers to develop time-bound sourcing plans.
Reaching 40% local content is a significant milestone for us, and we are proud of how far we have come. But this is just the beginning. Our ambition is to get to a 50-50 balance.
Habib Lukaya, Country Manager, Roam
As local manufacturers increase their capacity to produce more components locally, the sector can create stronger opportunities for Kenyan suppliers, develop technical skills, support quality jobs and build the capabilities needed for deeper manufacturing.
Tobias Alando, Chief Executive, Kenya Association of Manufacturers
The economics behind the shift
A 2026 Siemens Stiftung study on local electric motorcycle assembly in Nigeria found that moving from fully imported units to configurations with more than 25% local content reduced per-unit costs by approximately 41.3%, with no reported drop in performance or durability. The findings are from Nigeria and are not a direct saving for Roam, but they illustrate the wider case for deeper localisation.
Roam was named Kenya's fastest-growing company in 2025 by the Financial Times. It was a finalist for the Earthshot Prize and a 2024 Norrsken Foundation Impact/100 startup. Its Roam Air completed a 6,000-kilometre solar-powered journey from Nairobi to Cape Town.
Metric | Value |
|---|---|
Local content today | 40% |
Components made locally | 50+ |
East African supplier companies | 10+ |
Lead time for cowlings (was 18 weeks) | 2 weeks |
2027 target | 50% |
Frequently asked questions
What is Roam’s local content figure?
Roam reports 40% local content in its electric motorcycle manufacturing, measured by the share of bill-of-materials value.
How many components are made locally?
More than 50 components in the Roam Air are produced locally, supplied by more than 10 Kenyan and Tanzanian companies.
When do the EAC local-content rules take effect?
The East African Community's Assembling and Manufacturing of Products Regulations, 2025, take effect on 1 July 2027.
What is Roam’s next target?
Roam is targeting 50% local content by 2027, starting with bringing the motorcycle chassis into local production.
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