Watu Credit announced a reduction in the down-payment required for selected petrol motorcycles, lowering it to 27 per cent for new customers from the previous 35 per cent, effective October 1.
Returning customers with an existing Watu financing record will now pay 24 per cent, down from 30 per cent. The new terms initially apply to Boxer, TVS, Honda and Haojin models and can be accessed through Watu branches, dealers and agents.
The move comes as Kenya’s motorcycle market registers renewed growth, with the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) reporting that registrations of motorcycles, autocycles and three-wheelers rose to 252,241 in 2025, almost double the 126,490 recorded in 2024. Registrations of motor and autocycles alone more than doubled to 241,763 units.
KNBS linked part of the surge in vehicle registrations to improved access to financing. The expansion of informal transport and the gig economy is also driving demand for motorcycles.
The 2026 Economic Survey showed that 21.6 million people were in recorded employment in 2025, with the informal sector accounting for 87.2 per cent, and the economy created 822,100 jobs that year, underscoring the importance of self-employment and small businesses.
An International Labour Organisation study noted that digital labour platforms are reshaping Kenya’s labour market, including taxi driving and delivery services, but cautioned that many platform workers remain outside conventional employment protections.
“Lowering the entry point gives riders a stronger offer and gives us a stronger proposition in the market,” said Damien Gueroult, Watu Credit’s country manager for Kenya. He added that the aim is to provide easier access to an income-generating asset that puts more money in riders’ pockets and helps them build their livelihoods and businesses.
KNBS estimated the value of road-transport output at KSh2.57 trillion in 2025, comprising KSh1.5 trillion in passenger traffic and KSh1.08 trillion in freight.
The financing push coincides with Kenya’s transition from petrol to electric motorcycles, following the government’s National Electric Mobility Policy launched in February, which recorded cumulative electric vehicle registrations of 39,324 by 2025, up from 1,378 in 2022, with boda-boda motorcycles showing the highest percentage increase.
The World Bank’s Nairobi field research found that a lease-to-own electric motorcycle model raised rider productivity by 37 per cent and nearly doubled energy efficiency, suggesting that access to finance will remain central as technology evolves.
Gueroult said local dealers and agents will continue to play a key role in reaching new riders and customers who have already built a repayment record, and that the lower deposit shortens the gap between acquiring a motorcycle and earning income, potentially widening the customer base for dealers and agents.
