The eagerly awaited Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project in Bomet County is set to begin in due course after the National Land Commission concludes securing land to enable construction works.
This follows a site visit to the proposed Kapkesio Terminus in Chepalungu Sub-County by government officials led by Bomet County Commissioner Caroline Nzwili.
Nzwili was alongside officials from Kenya Railways, Bomet county CECM for Roads, Transport and Public Works, Agnes Ngeno, Chief Officer for Roads, Transport and Public Works Dr. Nelson Tore, representatives from the National Land Commission (NLC), and other key partners and stakeholders.
Bomet County is within the scope of Phase 2B of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR).
The extension was being initiated by the Kenya Kwanza administration. It will run from Naivasha through Narok, Bomet, Kericho, Nyamira, and Kisumu, onwards to Malaba.
The proposed new line enters from Narok, traverses parts of Bomet County including proposed areas like Sotik, Kyongong, Kapkesio, and proceeds towards Kericho. At least three sub-stations or stops are planned within Bomet County.
Preparations, route mapping, and stakeholder engagements for land acquisition and resettlement action plans are on course in Bomet County.
The National Land Commission is currently undertaking the identification and sensitization of Project Affected Persons (PAPs) along the approximately 50-kilometre railway corridor in Bomet, as part of the preparatory activities preceding the official commencement of the project.
Once implemented, the railway is expected to strengthen regional connectivity, facilitate trade and investment, enhance the movement of goods and passengers, and contribute significantly to the socio-economic development of Bomet County and the surrounding regions.
The project also aims to lower transport costs and link the region directly to the main Mombasa-Malaba economic corridor.
By Erick Ongeri
