Nairobi: In a major move for climate resilience and food security, Earthshot Prize 2022 Finalist Roam and Earthshot Prize 2024 winners Keep It Cool (KIC) have partnered to launch Africa’s first fully electric cold-chain distribution network, combining solar-powered refrigeration with clean electric delivery motorcycles. The collaboration commenced with five Roam Air electric motorcycles added to Keep It Cool’s smart cold-chain system, which already moves more than 250,000 kilograms of fresh food each week to over 4,000 small businesses and 40 supermarkets across major cities in Kenya, including Nairobi, Kisumu, Nakuru, and Mombasa.

According to Kenya News Agency, designed and built in Kenya, Roam Air motorcycles carry up to 240 kg and reduce running costs by up to 75 per cent compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) motorcycles, making them affordable and practical for delivery businesses. Making his remarks, Elijah Gakomo, a Sales Executive at Roam, established that this partnership shows how clean transport can drive real impact, reduce emissions, cut costs, and strengthen local supply chains. “Together, we’re proving that the future of logistics in Africa is electric, efficient, and built at home,” he asserted.

The partnership marks a significant step in addressing East Africa’s post-harvest crisis, where nearly half of fish and poultry is lost before reaching markets due to a lack of cold storage and transport. Keep It Cool tackles this challenge with solar-powered cold rooms near fishing ports, hybrid delivery trucks, and a digital platform that links producers directly to retailers with guaranteed prices, helping remove middlemen and improve profits.

So far, KIC has helped over 5,600 fisherfolk raise their incomes by more than 15 per cent and reduced post-harvest losses by 98 per cent for over 1.5 million kg of food. Concurrently, Abigail Gichigi, the Operations Director at Keep IT Cool, revealed that each year, the partnership saves nearly 400 tonnes of fish that would otherwise end up in landfills by investing in efficient cold storage and clean energy-powered cold logistics. “These innovations are making safe, affordable food distribution scalable. With our partnership with Roam, we’re accelerating this impact even further-delivering tangible benefits for both people and the planet,” stated Gichigi.

With Roam’s electric motorcycles now closing the last-mile delivery gap, the system is fully clean, from the point of harvest to the point of sale. Commenting on the partnership, Jason Knauf, CEO of The Earthshot Prize, maintained that the collaboration is a shining example of urgent optimism in action. Knauf said Roam and Keep It Cool are proving that cleaner air, healthier lives, and greater prosperity are within reach. “It’s a powerful reminder of what The Earthshot Prize was created to do: spotlight bold ideas, back the brilliant minds behind them, and show the world that change is not only possible, it’s already happening,” he outlined.

Meanwhile, both companies are scaling quickly. Roam was recently named Kenya’s fastest-growing company by the Financial Times, expanded its sales and charging infrastructure services out of Nairobi, and launched its new Roam Air Generation 2, designed with input from Kenyan riders. Keep It Cool, on the other hand, is set to open the country’s largest solar-powered cold-chain hub this year, with a 70-tonne capacity and a plan to reach 1.6 million people by 2030.

By combining clean energy, smart logistics, and African-made technology, Roam and KIC are proving that it’s possible to grow rural incomes, reduce waste and fight climate change, all at once.