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 begins with five Roam Air electric motorcycles added to
Keep It Cool’s smart cold-chain system. KIC 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. Designed and built in Kenya, Roam Air motorcycles carry up to 240 kg and reduce running costs by up to 75% compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) motorcycles, making them
affordable and practical for delivery businesses.
This 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% and reduced post-harvest losses by 98% for over 1.5 million kg of food. 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.
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 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.
Elijah Gakomo, Sales Executive at Roam: “This partnership shows how clean transport can drive real impact, reducing
emissions, cutting costs, and strengthening local supply chains. Together, we’re proving that the future of logistics in Africa is electric, efficient, and built at home.”
LAbigail Gichigi, Operations Director, Keep IT Cool: “Each year, we’re saving 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.
Jason Knauf, CEO of The Earthshot Prize: “This collaboration is a shining example of urgent optimism in action. 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.
