Diana Wanyonyi
Mombasa County, Kenya: Isuzu East Africa in collaboration with UD Trucks Corporation has launched UD Trucks models in Kenya at the new UD Trucks service facility in Jomvu, in Mombasa County.
Speaking during the launch, Isuzu East Africa’s Chair of the Board and Managing Director Rita Kavashe, said the UD trucks are all assembled in Kenya thus strengthening manufacturing in Kenya and creating job opportunities.
“UD trucks will be sold by Isuzu East Africa, we are currently assembling them at KVM in Thika, and you can see how manufacturers can collaborate within the country. So if you buy a UD truck today, it is actually locally produced at the plant at KVM. Therefore, Isuzu acquiring the distributorship for UD trucks is further strengthening manufacturing in Kenya because we know other players who import these vehicles directly, some come secondhand but we are assembling this product locally therefore creating job opportunities and deepening manufacturing within Kenya for the larger East Africa region.”
She added that the regulation review from the government has seen a complete shift in the manufacturing sector, “For instance in 2020, the split between locally produced and imported was almost 50/50, but because of new regulation what is produced locally today is about 80 percent and only 20 percent are coming in as imported and that graph is going to shift significantly because of the good incentive program, the review of those assembly regulations and stability of those regulations.”
She added that Kenya is now attracting new investments, “traditionally Kenya didn’t have any regulations so it was very difficult to attract new investments because people come to a country because of a tax regime, a policy being in existence and all that but the automotive policy is being rolled out and these are some of the benefits that we are beginning to see, so as we go along we will see more and more local manufacturing taking place in our region.”
Logistically, the President of UDT MEENA Hedna Mourad, said that there is a need for more infrastructure to be built in Kenya for the sustainability of the transport industry.
“In a country like Kenya, logistics is the lifeblood of the society and logistics will continue to grow when we see the population of youths and the emergency of the middle class, there will be more and more goods to transport, and there is the need for more infrastructures to be built. Our plan and aim as UD trucks is to be the key player and key actor to support the prosperity of the country.” He said.
He said that they are also providing transport solutions to their clients, “ all these customers that are here, if we have the right platform to support them to be successful, to grow, to develop they will create a lot of opportunities. Our role is not only to sit and to say that we are providing trucks but we are providing transport solutions for our customers.” He finally said.
According to Tetsuya Ikemoto, Director of the Board, and Managing Executive Officer, Isuzu Motors Ltd said that the initiative aims to give their clients more choice in East Africa by introducing innovative technologies in the trucks that will meet their logistics requirements.
The customer launch in Mombasa follows the appointment of Isuzu East Africa as the first Isuzu Motors Limited subsidiary to distribute Isuzu and UD Trucks brands under one organization in early 2024. The company has set up two dedicated UD Trucks service centers in Nairobi and Mombasa to serve as training and best practice centers to support customer requirements in the region.
Isuzu East Africa is now responsible for assembly, sales, and after-sales support of UD Trucks in Kenya.
On his part, the chairman of UD Trucks Corporation, Koichi Ito has applauded the existing partnership between the two companies, “UD Trucks partnership with Isuzu East Africa exemplifies our shared value of providing top-notch products and comprehensive aftersales support to our customers. Kenya is a major logistics and transport hub in Africa and UD Trucks is honored to have a strong partner in Isuzu East Africa to look after our customers and growth opportunities.”
In August 2024, Isuzu East Africa commenced the assembling of two UD truck model lines, the heavy-duty Quester and the medium-duty Croner, at the Kenya Vehicle Manufacturers (KVM) Plant in Thika. Beyond the local assembly of the trucks, the venture will cover comprehensive after-sales support, including expert technical assistance and a reliable supply of genuine parts, aimed at ensuring a seamless ownership experience in Kenya and the larger Eastern Africa region.
