Electric Boda Loans Kenya 2026: Spiro, Roam, Ampersand

Who makes electric bodas in Kenya, and who lends

Brand	Bike	Energy model	Lenders named by the brand
Spiro	Ekon 450M1, about 100 km per swap	Battery swap, Spiro owns the battery	Huduma, M-KOPA, KCB
Roam	Roam Air, two batteries, up to 160 km	Own the battery and charge at home, or rent at a Roam Hub	M-KOPA, Watu, Fortune Credit, Mogo, 4G Capital, Platinum Credit, Rafiki
Ampersand	Alpha and Turaco models	Battery swap, paid to Ampersand	Not published by Ampersand. Watu and M-KOPA list its bikes.

Watu also lists Arc Ride, Skygo, Wylex, Rhinggo and Tankvolt among the electric brands it finances.

Spiro

Spiro offers three routes on its Kenyan site: lease to own, pay upfront, or fleet purchase. The lease "starts from KES 200/Day" with "no large upfront payment required", subject to approval by its leasing partners. Spiro does not publish the bike price, the term or the total cost. Its February 2026 press release says more than 15,000 Spiro motorcycles and over 350 swap stations across 30 counties, while its own Kenyan homepage shows 69 swap stations. Ask which stations are near your route before you commit, because a swap bike is only as useful as the nearest station.

Swap price is not on Spiro's site. A TechCabal report from October 2025 put it at KES 290 per full swap. Treat that as a news figure and confirm it at the station.

Spiro Kenya call centre: 0711 660 372.

Roam

Roam is a Kenyan maker. The Roam Air carries two batteries, up to 80 km each, and a 2-year warranty. Roam says deposits start from KES 10,000 through its lending partners, and that charging costs about KES 1 per km. You can buy the battery and charge at home in about 4 hours, or rent a charged battery at a Roam Hub for KES 20 an hour. Hubs are in Nairobi, including Lusaka Road, Waiyaki Way, Kayole, Roysambu and Outer Ring Road, and Roam has announced Machakos.

News reports have quoted partner terms such as a KES 25,000 deposit with about KES 460 to 527 a day over 24 months, depending on the lender. These are reported figures, not published by Roam. Get the quote from the lender in writing.

Roam sales line: 0740 666 555.

Ampersand

Ampersand has operated in Kenya since July 2022 from Old Mombasa Road in Nairobi. It says its bikes "cost the same as petrol motorcycles to buy and finance, and half as much to power". It does not lend and does not publish prices. Through M-KOPA, the package includes unlimited battery swaps paid to Ampersand. M-KOPA says Ampersand has 16 swap stations across greater Nairobi, so this is a Nairobi bike for now.

Electric or petrol: what to compare

Total repayable, not the daily figure. Multiply the daily or weekly amount by the full term and add the deposit. Run it through the boda finance calculator.
Energy cost per day. For a swap bike, count swaps per day times the swap price. For petrol, litres per day times the pump price. Use the fuel cost calculator for the petrol side.
Range against your route. If the nearest swap station is far from where you work, the saving disappears in dead kilometres.
Who owns the battery at the end. On a swap model you never own it and keep paying per swap after the loan ends.
Resale. The second-hand market for petrol bodas is deep. For electric bikes it is still young, which matters if you ever need to sell.

If you miss a payment

Your lender's terms apply. Watu's published terms are the clearest example: late interest of 0.5 percent a day on the overdue amount, a KES 5,000 collection charge after 10 days in arrears, remote switch-off through the tracker, and a 7-day window after repossession to pay the arrears and get the bike back. After that the bike is sold and any shortfall can be claimed from you or your guarantor. See the Watu 7-day window and if your boda sells for less than you owe.

Sources, read 19 October 2026

Spiro Kenya site and Ekon page, spironet.com; Spiro press release, 9 Feb 2026.
Roam motorcycles, charging and FAQ pages, roam-electric.com.
Ampersand who-we-are and contact pages, ampersand.energy.
M-KOPA mobility page, m-kopa.com/mobility.
Watu Kenya mobility page and General Terms v3.1, watu.com.
CBK Directory of Digital Credit Providers, 29 September 2026.
Secondary: TechCabal, 21 Oct 2025 (Spiro swap price); Citizen Digital and Capital FM (Roam partner terms).

FAQ

Do Spiro, Roam or Ampersand lend the money themselves?

No. All three make the bikes and run the battery or charging network. The loan comes from a partner lender. Spiro names Huduma, M-KOPA and KCB. Roam names M-KOPA, Watu, Fortune Credit, Mogo, 4G Capital, Platinum Credit and Rafiki Microfinance Bank. Watu and M-KOPA both list Ampersand bikes.

How much is the daily payment on an electric boda?

Spiro says its lease starts from KES 200 a day, subject to approval by its leasing partners. Roam says deposits start from KES 10,000. Neither publishes a full schedule, so ask the lender for the deposit, the daily or weekly amount, the number of weeks and the total you will pay before you sign.

Do I own the battery?

It depends on the brand. On Spiro bikes financed through M-KOPA, M-KOPA says Spiro owns the batteries and you pay per swap. On Ampersand bikes, swaps are paid to Ampersand. Roam says a rider can own the battery outright and charge at home, or rent a battery at a Roam Hub for KES 20 an hour.

Are these lenders licensed by CBK?

M-KOPA, Watu, Mogo, Fortune Credit, 4G Capital and Platinum Credit are on the CBK Digital Credit Providers directory dated 29 September 2026. KCB is a bank and Rafiki is a microfinance bank, so they are licensed differently. Spiro, Roam, Ampersand and Huduma are not on the DCP directory. That does not make them unregulated, but check the lender on your contract, not the bike brand.

What happens if I miss a payment on an electric boda loan?

The lender on your contract sets this, not the bike maker. Watu, for example, publishes late interest of 0.5 percent a day on the overdue amount, a KES 5,000 collection charge after 10 days in arrears, remote switch-off through the GPS tracker and a 7-day window to redeem a repossessed vehicle.