Electric Motorbikes Drive Up His Income

Paul Letiwa

15 June 2011

Nairobi — When he was studying business management at the university, Mr Antony Mbugua, unlike most of his classmates, harboured no dreams of being employed. His goal was to complete his studies and start a business.

“What I needed in college was to understand the theory of managing a business. I thought this was important. And it turned out to be because I am applying it in my business today,” says the 30-year-old.

However, it took some time before he established himself after completing college in 1999. First, he started selling electronics in a small shop in Nairobi.

He says his mother, a businesswoman, advised him not to concentrate on getting employed and instead focus on managing a big business.

He got the idea when he travelled with his mother to China on a business trip.

He saw many people there using electric motorbikes as a mode of transport and was curious to know how this was possible. He decided to invest his money in an e-bike business.

“On coming back home, I thought this was a good idea because of the thriving boda boda business in the country and the fact that it would help many people to save on the rising cost of fuel.”

Using an electric bike, he says, not only saves money but also saves a lot of time which one would have otherwise wasted in traffic jams or in finding parking space.

Electric bikes work by means of a battery-powered engine which is mounted in the hull. One only needs to plug the bike in and after a few hours of recharging, it is ready for the journey.

In 2009, Mr Mbugua approached a bank in the city for a loan of Sh10 million to import electric bikes, but the institution was reluctant.

“Nobody would listen to me. The savings I had been putting aside from my electronics business were not enough.

“I went from one bank to another and it took a lot of time to explain this idea to them. Eventually, I succeeded and although I am still repaying the loan, I thank God that my dream has come true,” says the father-of-one.

And today Mr Mbugua makes an average income of Sh5 million from selling a minimum of 30 e-bikes every month.

In his shop located on Mombasa Road, he stocks more than 200 e-bikes whose prices range between Sh49,000 and Sh70,000, depending on power, which is measured in volts.

Last year his company, Unimax Auto Ltd, was given a dealership in the East African region by the parent company in China and this has helped him to advance his business.

“My aim now is to break into the market and make sure that Kenyans understand the importance of using e-bikes as an efficient and environment-friendly mode of transport, which can help them save money as well.

We have been to several parts of the country to explain this to our clients, particularly boda boda cyclists, the benefits of using e-motorbikes in their daily transport businesses.”

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