The government on Sunday announced that it will embark on the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) extension from Kenya to Uganda, shortly after meeting China's Investment delegation.
The developments came after Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir met officials from the Investment delegation, led by Secretary for Disciplined Inspection Chin Lee, at the SGR Nairobi Terminus.
According to the Principal Secretary (PS) for Transport Mohammed Daghar, the project will see the extension of the rail system from Naivasha to Malaba.
"We are in top gear to ensure we extend the line all the way to Kisumu, a distance of 362 kilometers, through phase 2B, and then onwards to Malaba, a distance of 106 kilometres," Daghar stated.
"The project will enable us to connect with Uganda, DRC, South Sudan, and Rwanda,’’ Daghar added.
The project is set to cost the government Ksh648 billion, which will be funded by the Chinese Government.
However, the government is yet to announce key details among other issues in the funding plan for the SGR extension, despite the closed-door meeting with the high investment delegation from China.
The project works will begin next year, 2025, after all the funding issues are sorted out. The project is expected to take four years.
Previously, the government experienced challenges in raising funds for the extension of the line whose initial plan was to run from the port town of Mombasa to Malaba, the border town of Kenya and Uganda.
However, this did not materialise as the government lacked funds to finance the project. At one point, former President Uhuru Kenyatta directed rehabilitation works on the old Meter Gauge Railway(MGR) to link the current SGR to the old lane.
The project was jointly undertaken by the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and the National Youth Service (NYS).
There was also a discussion between the Kenyan government and the neighbouring country of Uganda for joint funding but a deal was not reached.
Instead, Uganda got a concessionary from a Turkish lender, at a cost of Ksh381 billion in a deal that will see it extend the line from Malaba to the inner parts of the East African nation.
