President William Ruto has since Sunday, September 3, been the man of the moment as he hosts global leaders for the inaugural African Climate Summit (ACS).
On Sunday, the President seized the moment after making an iconic entrance to the Kenyatta International Convention Center (KICC).
In what was a departure from the presidential motorcade featuring outriders with majestic superbikes and high-end SUVs, Ruto drove himself in a small two-door electric vehicle – yellow in colour.
No surprise the symbolic has left tongues wagging with Kenyans across the social media sharing their thoughts on the vehicle and the significance.
Also Read: President Ruto Urges All Nations to Work Together to Curb Climate Change
Price of Ruto Yellow Car
But how much would it cost you to acquire the now “presidential ride”.
A search by The Kenya Times has established that the car is called AirEv YETU, Y300, and sold by Autopax Kenya– an automobile company based in Nairobi.
The AirEv YETU, Y300- according to Autopax, goes for Ksh2.1 million and has a range of 300 kilometers. This implies that once fully charged, the car can cover up to 300 kilometers before recharging.
According to the car dealer, it takes four hours to fully charge the car’s battery and it has a passenger capacity of four.
Speaking during an interview, Autopax Kenya CEO Joy Kalua revealed that the AirEv YETU car models will soon be assembled in Kenya in a partnership with the Kenya Vehicle Manufacturers.
Also Read: List of Presidents That Ruto is Hosting in Nairobi
The Air EV is a product of Wuling Motors, a Chinese car manufacturer. It was launched in July 2022 to compete with other small electric vehicles.
Powering it is a 40-horsepower electric motor which enables it to cruise with speeds of up to 100 kilometers/ hour.
What Kenyans think
Besides the message sent by President Ruto in line with the purpose of the climate summit, Kenyans on social media platforms shared their thoughts on the car.
Some observed Ruto’s choice of colour, likening it to the yellow theme colour of his United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party.
Others made fun of its size, suggesting that it was possible to buy it using Fuliza- a mobile money service that allows users to overdraw on their accounts.
“Lazima ingekua colour yellow – It had to be yellow?” Esther Muriithi, a Facebook user commented.
“Charger ni USB, type C ama pin ndogo- Does it have USB charging system or is it type – C?” another user asked.
