Chinese vehicle manufacturers in Kenya almost doubled their share of new-vehicle sales in the nine months to September 2026, with sales rising 152 per cent to 1,847 units from 733 a year earlier.

Their combined market share increased to 14.65 per cent from 7.39 per cent, meaning Chinese brands accounted for roughly one in every seven new vehicles sold through local showrooms.

Total new-vehicle sales in the period grew 27 per cent to 12,606 units from 9,924, a pace far slower than the expansion of Chinese brands.

Sinotruk, distributed by CFAO Mobility Kenya, drove most of the Chinese growth, delivering 1,442 trucks, a rise of 169.5 per cent from 535, and contributed 907 of the additional 1,114 Chinese vehicles sold, representing 81.4 per cent of the brand group’s growth and about 78 per cent of all Chinese sales.

Foton also posted strong gains, increasing deliveries to 168 units from 88, while passenger-vehicle brands expanded, with BYD rising to 54 units from two, Changan to 73 from 36, and Chery Tiggo to 50 from none.

Other Chinese manufacturers reported mixed results: Great Wall Motors sold 18 vehicles up from eight, JMC 21 up from 15, Haval fell to four from 31, and Beiben slipped to 17 from 18.

Isuzu East Africa attributed the surge to the government’s mobilisation of KSh139 billion to settle contractors’ outstanding payments and restart stalled road projects.

“Industry performance was primarily propelled by government fiscal intervention—specifically the mobilization of KSh139 billion to clear contractor bills and restart road projects, which spurred heavy commercial vehicle demand,” Isuzu said in the KMI report for September.

The State Department for Roads’ pending bills declined 23.5 per cent to KSh98.17 billion in the financial year ended June, down from a peak of KSh166.76 billion in 2023/24, with the latest reduction of KSh30.19 billion following a KSh38.40 billion drop the previous year.

Lower borrowing costs also supported demand, as the Central Bank of Kenya’s weighted-average commercial lending rate fell to 14.34 per cent in August 2026 from 15.17 per cent a year earlier, after peaking at 17.22 per cent in November 2024.

A proposed KSh390 billion investment by Endelevu Enterprise Corporation and Geely Auto Group aims to establish vehicle-assembly facilities, charging infrastructure and a digital mobility platform in Kenya.

Additional developments include Dongfeng’s entry into the electric-vehicle market through ePureMotion and a financing programme by NCBA and BasiGo targeting 1,000 electric vehicles, offering up to 90 per cent financing over 60 months for qualifying businesses and SACCOs.