President William Ruto and his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni are expected in Kisumu on Saturday to jointly preside over the groundbreaking ceremony for the extension of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from Naivasha to Malaba.
The ceremony, a major milestone in regional infrastructure development, is expected to attract more than 20,000 people, including residents, leaders and stakeholders from across the region.
The event marks the start of the next phase of Kenya’s railway expansion aimed at strengthening trade and transport links across East Africa.
Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary (CS) Davis Chirchir on Monday toured the Kibos SGR site in Kisumu to assess the level of preparedness ahead of the historic event that will bring together the two Heads of State.
Speaking at a media briefing at the site, Chirchir said the government was keen to ensure that all logistical, security and organisational arrangements are firmly in place.
“We have arrived here in Kisumu today in Kibos to check the preparedness for the groundbreaking of the Standard Gauge Railway extension from Naivasha to Kisumu and eventually to Malaba,” said the CS. This is a big day that we will celebrate with our President and President Yoweri Museveni when they come to launch this very significant project,” he added.
The proposed railway line will stretch approximately 369 kilometres and is expected to form a critical segment of the regional transport corridor linking the Port of Mombasa to the western Kenya region and onwards to neighbouring countries.
According to Chirchir, the project is designed to significantly transform the movement of goods and passengers by offering a more efficient and reliable alternative to road transport, which currently carries the bulk of cargo along the busy Northern Corridor.
“This is a very significant construction that will open up the regional transport corridor which is currently serviced predominantly by trucks,” he said.
“It will also have passenger facilitation in order to improve the transportation of goods to market and enhance the movement of people across the region,” he added.
The CS noted that the inspection visit was meant to confirm that all preparations were on course given the scale and significance of the ceremony.
He said organisers expect to host more than 20,000 people during the launch, making it one of the largest public infrastructure events to be held in the region in recent years. “Railways are not built every day and therefore this is a historic event for our country and for the region,” he added.
The CS noted that security agencies and event organisers had assured the ministry that key aspects of the preparations, including crowd management, security coordination, access routes and protocol arrangements, were progressing well.
The extension of the SGR to Kisumu and onwards to Malaba is expected to strengthen regional integration by linking Kenya’s railway network with Uganda and the broader East African transport system.
Once completed, the line is projected to reduce the cost of transportation, improve efficiency in cargo movement and boost trade between Kenya and landlocked countries in the region.
The project is also expected to spur economic growth in western Kenya by improving connectivity, enhancing mobility and opening up new opportunities for investment and commerce along the railway corridor.
By Chris Mahandara
