Olivia Lamenya
The Electric
Mobility Enabler
Olivia Lamenya
The Electric
Mobility Enabler
“Malkia Mkuu wa gari za umeme” – Kiswahili for “angel of electric mobility” – is what many call Olivia Lamenya. She laughs at the title, but her work across Eastern Africa makes a strong case for it. The 45-year-old has been a project manager at Kühne Climate Center in Nairobi, Kenya, for nearly two years, during which she has convincingly shown through pilot projects that e-mobility can work across all types of transport: from e-bikes and small delivery vehicles to large trucks. Olivia Lamenya’s focus is squarely on the practical aspects of e-mobility: which vehicles are suitable? How will drivers load and operate them? How do stated battery ranges hold up in daily use? Thinking ahead to a day when e-mobility is commonplace, she has also initiated measures to prepare mechanics for electric vehicles.
The project manager sees herself as a conduit between various stakeholders. In the Road to Addis project, she brought together utility companies, vehicle manufacturers, and policymakers to witness what electric mobility can do. “We can talk theory all day,” Olivia Lamenya says, “but when people see it, everything becomes easier.” All the while, she leverages her deep knowledge of logistics, having lived every layer: she loaded trucks at sixteen, later drove a forklift, and worked in warehousing, procurement, and operations. She puts herself in the shoes of people filling various roles, trying to anticipate what a person might need next. As a graduate of business administration, she also weighs the economics – higher upfront costs, yes, but a clear long-term payoff.
What motivates Olivia Lamenya is reducing the environmental impact of logistics. Next, she aims to show what electric vehicles can do in the high‑intensity environment of the port of Mombasa – again by connecting the right people and enabling progress where it matters most. Once again, she lives up to her reputation as the “angel of electromobility”.
Road to Addis
In 2025, the Road to Addis convoy showed that long‑distance electric mobility in East Africa is within reach. A large electric truck completed a 3,200‑kilometer round trip between Nairobi, Kenya, and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, supported by partners in both countries, especially national electricity providers. Along the route, the team highlighted the social, economic, and environmental aspects of clean transport to local communities. Organized by Intro Africa with partners including the Kühne Climate Center, the expedition demonstrated the feasibility of long‑distance, cross-border travel in Africa.
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