By Eddah Waithaka
Kenya, Uganda, and South Sudan are accelerating plans to construct the next vital links of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), aiming to break ground on the lines to Kisumu and Malaba “in the shortest possible time.”
The announcement came during a joint press briefing in Nairobi where Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport, Hon. Davis Chirchir, hosted his counterparts from Uganda and South Sudan.
The ministers affirmed their commitment to synchronize the regional project, which will complete the Northern Corridor railway link from the Port of Mombasa to landlocked partner nations.
“We work very closely with South Sudan and Uganda to ensure we quickly finish this particular infrastructure,” stated CS Chirchir. “We are seeking to break ground in the shortest possible time.”
The push follows a record-breaking performance by the existing SGR line, which moved 640,000 tonnes of cargo in a single month, surpassing its 500,000-tonne average.
This surge highlights the urgent need for expanded rail capacity to reduce truck traffic on roads, lower transportation costs, and improve the region’s carbon footprint.
The planned Kenyan section will cover the 262-kilometer stretch from Naivasha to Kisumu and an additional 107 kilometers from Kisumu to Malaba on the Ugandan border.
The government will anchor the multi-billion dollar project on the existing 2% Railway Development Levy. “We have done the financial modelling and we are good to go,” CS Chirchir said, confirming the state is not seeking to increase the levy but is engaging development partners to secure long-term financing.
Uganda’s Minister of State for Transport, Hon. Byamukama Fred, emphasized the project’s economic imperative.
“We can give our people goods cheaply if the cost of transportation is reduced. How? That’s rail transport,” he said, explaining that rail transport can carry larger volumes more efficiently than roads.
To finalize the project’s bankability, technical teams from the three countries have nine weeks to complete a detailed traffic volume study.
This data will determine how much cargo will shift from road to rail, making the railway a commercially viable enterprise.
While each country will finance and build its own section, the ministers pledged a coordinated construction schedule to ensure the railway becomes operational simultaneously across the region.
CS Chirchir also outlined a forward-looking vision for an electric railway, leveraging Kenya’s abundant geothermal, wind, and solar power to cut diesel imports and further reduce the cost of doing business.
With financing models being finalized and regional cooperation solidified, the final pieces are falling into place to extend the SGR’s reach, creating a seamless trade artery for East Africa.
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