President Ruto Launches Construction of Standard Gauge Railway Naivasha-Kisumu-Malaba (Naivasha Section)
H.E. President William Samoei Ruto today presided over the launch of the construction of Naivasha-Kisumu-Malaba (Naivasha Section) Standard Gauge Railway (SGR).
Speaking at Narok Teachers Training College in Narok County, the President stated that the Government in 2014 embarked on the bold task of replacing the 130-year old colonial railway line from Mombasa to Kisumu, infamously called the “Lunatic Express”, with a modern Standard Gauge Railway (SGR).
The first phase of the SGR, running from Mombasa to Naivasha, was initially dismissed by skeptics as a “railway to nowhere". But today, it stands vindicated as a transformative backbone of our national transport system, driving efficiency in the movement of goods and passengers.
The Government is now advancing the next phase by extending the SGR from Naivasha to Kisumu and eventually to Malaba.
The Naivasha-Kisumu main line will span 264km, complemented by an 8.69km line branching to the proposed new Kisumu Port while the Kisumu- Malaba section will cover 107km, seamlessly linking Kenya to Uganda and the wider region.
Traversing nine counties - Narok, Bomet, Nyamira, Kericho, Kisumu, Siaya, Vihiga, Kakamega, and Busia, this strategic corridor will significantly ease the movement of people, goods, and services.
It will catalyse regional economic growth, and firmly position Kenya as a leading transport and logistics hub in Eastern and Central Africa.
The event was attended by the Prime Cabinet Secreatary Dr. Musalia Mudavadi, Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport Mr. Davis Chirchir, Governor Narok Patrick Ole Ntutu, Principal Secretary State Department for Transport Mohamed Daghar, alongside other national and local leaders.
