Electric bikes quietly patrol Kenyan wildlife Reserve
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Joshua Kijape, a ranger at Entumoto Safari Camp in Kenya’s Maasai Mara game reserve, now patrols the grasslands on an electric motorcycle.
For the past year, Kijape has used the bike’s silent motor to approach animals and track poachers more effectively. This initiative is part of a larger effort to shift African wildlife reserves away from petrol-powered vehicles and toward electric options charged with solar energy.
Conservation operators in the Maasai Mara are testing whether electric mobility can lower fuel and maintenance costs while reducing noise during the annual wildebeest migration. ROAM, a Nairobi-based electric motorcycle company, is using the Mara as a testing ground for its e-bikes, assessing their ability to handle challenging terrain and remote conditions. The company’s CEO, Filip Lovstrom, believes that economics, particularly the ability to charge the bikes with on-site solar power instead of transporting petrol, will encourage wider adoption.
Currently, ROAM’s e-bikes can travel about 160km on a single charge, but extending patrol ranges will require the installation of charging stations powered by solar and battery systems. Beyond conservation, these electric motorcycles offer a transport solution for communities near wildlife areas with limited road access. Emboo River Camp has been using electric safari vehicles since 2019, powered entirely by solar energy, and EERA Lab, connected to the camp, now supports 25 lodges across East Africa with sustainable technologies.
