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Isuzu East Africa marked its 50th anniversary in Nairobi on Wednesday with a Time Capsule Ceremony designed to preserve materials from the company’s half-century of local assembly and sales.
The capsule, which will be opened at the company’s 75th anniversary in 2050, contains letters, photographs, miniature vehicle models, annual reports, marketing materials and testimonials from employees and customers.
The ceremony was attended by government officials, company executives and partners.
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History in Kenya
Isuzu’s history in Kenya began in 1977 when the first vehicles were locally assembled under General Motors East Africa, a joint venture in which General Motors held a majority stake.
For four decades the company operated under the GM banner, producing buses, trucks and pick-ups for the local and regional market.
In 2017 General Motors divested and Isuzu Motors took over full ownership, rebranding the operation as Isuzu East Africa while continuing assembly at the Nairobi plant and expanding its product line and market share.
Isuzu EA Chair of the Board and MD, Rita Kavashe, leads Isuzu EA partners, customers, and key stakeholders' representatives in a cutting cake session to mark the company’s 50th anniversary milestone
The company traces its Kenyan assembly operations to the late 1970s, with the first locally assembled Isuzu vehicles rolling out in 1977.
Isuzu East Africa positions the milestone as an opportunity to highlight investments and recent projects that it says will deepen local manufacturing capacity.
At the event, Isuzu East Africa’s leadership and visiting Isuzu Motors representatives pointed to recent capital projects as evidence of expanded capability.
These include a Sh3B parts distribution centre whose groundbreaking took place in August 2025, and an Electro-Deposition paint plant commissioned in 2023 that the company said increased annual assembly capacity from roughly 11,000 to 18,000 units.
Isuzu has described the paint plant as the first of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa outside South Africa.
Market position
Isuzu’s standing in Kenya’s new vehicle market is visible in sales tallies.
Independent vehicle-sales trackers show the Isuzu D-Max among the country’s best selling models in recent years, while brand-level analyses place Isuzu as the leading marque in several recent full-year tallies, with figures indicating a near-majority share of new vehicle registrations in 2024.
The Isuzu D-Max, Isuzu's best-selling car in recent years
These market positions reflect strong demand in the commercial and pick-up segments that serve agriculture, transport and small-business activity across the region.
The company has also broadened its product and distribution footprint.
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In 2024 Isuzu East Africa became the official importer, assembler and distributor for UD Trucks in Kenya, a move the manufacturer said would widen its heavy-truck offerings and aftersales capability.
Isuzu executives unveil unveil the Isuzu EA 50th anniversary Plaque during 50th anniversary celebrations
Speeches at the jubilee made links between private investment and national industrial goals.
The Time Capsule Ceremony closed with the capsule placed on display at the Nairobi Assembly Plant.
The items it contains are intended to record the company’s trajectory from early assembly operations to its present role supplying vehicles to a range of industries across East Africa.