It was supposed to be a five-minute pit stop. Instead, for dozens of boda boda riders at a Spiro battery swapping station in Nairobi’s Eastlands last week, it became a three-hour vigil. Footage circulating on social media showed frustrated riders, their electric motorcycles (EVs) dead and useless, heckling overwhelmed attendants who had simply run out of charged batteries.

“I have been here since 9:00 AM,” one rider lamented in a video that has since ignited a firestorm online. “It is now noon. I haven’t made a shilling today.”

This incident is not merely a customer service hiccup; it is a tremor signaling a fault line in Kenya’s burgeoning electric vehicle sector. As the country races toward its ambitious 2025 target of having EVs comprise 5% of all vehicle registrations, a fierce debate has erupted over the soul of the industry. At the heart of the conflict lies a critical question: Who owns the power—the rider or the company?

The 'Swap' Trap?

Spiro Kenya, a dominant player with aggressive expansion plans, operates on a Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) model. Riders buy the bike but lease the battery, swapping depleted units for fresh ones at designated hubs. Ideally, it eliminates the prohibitive upfront cost of the battery—often 40% of an EV’s price—and minimizes downtime.

But the reality on the ground has been messier. Investigative reports from local outlets, including Moshek Africa and Kenya Insights, have documented growing rider discontent. The complaints are structural, not just logistical:

• Supply Bottlenecks: With over 7,500 Spiro bikes now on Kenyan roads, the infrastructure of approximately 200 swap stations is struggling to keep pace with peak demand.
• The 'Kill Switch' Controversy: Riders have alleged that the company remotely disables batteries if a bike is dormant for more than five days, flagging them as 'security risks' and forcing riders to pay for towing to reactivate them.
• Perpetual Leasing: Critics argue the model traps riders in a cycle of payments where they never truly own the most critical asset of their trade.

“It feels like a digital plantation,” noted one disgruntled user on X (formerly Twitter), sparking a debate on whether the model empowers riders or creates a new form of dependency.

The Ownership Counter-Narrative

While Spiro battles the PR fallout, competitors are watching closely, doubling down on alternative models. Roam (formerly Opibus), another heavyweight in the Nairobi scene, has championed a hybrid approach that leans towards ownership.

Their Roam Air motorcycle allows riders to charge at home using a standard outlet or swap at a hub. By giving riders the option to own the battery and charge independently, they mitigate the risk of being stranded by a network failure. However, this freedom comes with a steeper initial price tag, a barrier that financing partners are only just beginning to lower.

“The Kenyan rider values autonomy above all else,” an industry analyst told Streamline News. “Any business model that mimics the control of a bank rather than the freedom of the open road will eventually face resistance.”

Policy vs. Potholes

The government’s Draft National E-Mobility Policy 2025 paints a rosy picture of a green transition, citing tax exemptions and green number plates as catalysts. Yet, the disconnect between policy papers in Upper Hill and the reality in downtown Nairobi is stark.

While the state has removed VAT on EVs to lower costs, the infrastructure gap remains a gaping wound. A promise to install 10,000 charging points by 2030 offers little comfort to a rider stuck in traffic today with a blinking red battery icon.

Moreover, the economic stakes are massive. With the average boda rider earning roughly KES 700–1,000 ($5.40–$7.70) a day, losing three hours to a battery shortage is not an inconvenience—it is a crisis. It means missed school fees and empty dinner tables.

“We are not against green energy,” said the chairman of a local riders’ association, who asked to remain anonymous. “But green energy must put food on the table, not take it away. If the battery is empty, the revolution is empty.”