Even cats can't hear this engine purring

Wanjiru Kamau, an electrical engineer at Opibus, said the company had so far converted 10 vehicles used in Kenyan game parks, including three in the Maasai Mara.

As well as being more environmentally friendly than diesel engines, the electric motors cut operating costs by half, she added.

"In Kenya our fuel prices are always rising... Why not save on that?" she told Reuters at the Opibus workshop, where assembled vehicles were in various stages of electrification.

Kamau said her company uses 35% locally made materials and aims eventually to use only local materials.