Rwanda’s State Minister in the Ministry of Infrastructure, Amb. Jean de Dieu Uwihanganye, announced that motorcycles using petrol or diesel will soon be banned from entering the Rwandan market, with a shift toward electric motorcycles.
This measure targets new entrants into the motorcycle taxi business. It means that anyone new seeking authorization from RURA must use an electric motorcycle.
Amb. Uwihanganye indicated that the decision is already yielding results and that, in the near future, it will be implemented nationwide.
He said, “As you know, the government decided that passenger motorcycles should be electric, especially in the City of Kigali. In the coming days, we will expand this measure to the entire country. No motorcycle will be allowed into the country unless it is electric, and all passenger motorcycles nationwide will follow this direction.”
He added, “The market has already responded, there are importers bringing in motorcycles, and others providing charging infrastructure. We cannot say everything is perfect yet, but the market has grown enough for us to scale up.”
Data shows that in 2025, Rwanda sold 14,031 motorcycles, representing a 28% increase compared to the previous year.
A large share of these were electric motorcycles, which have grown by 686% since their introduction in Rwanda, according to data from motorcyclesdata.
Even if a decision is made to stop registering fuel-powered motorcycles for passenger transport, those already licensed will continue operating as usual.
