The development of Phase 2B and 2C of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), which will connect Naivasha to Malaba through Kisumu, is slated to begin in 2025, with an anticipated budget of 648 billion shillings.
Transport Cabinet Secretary Davies Chirchir, alongside Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Mogosi, recently met with a Chinese delegation at the SGR Nairobi Terminus to conduct a feasibility study in preparation for the upcoming groundbreaking ceremony.
This 475-kilometer expansion of the SGR is projected to take four years to finish once construction starts in 2025.
During their visit, the Chinese delegation, headed by Xi Li, Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, convened a closed-door preliminary assessment meeting with high-ranking government officials to discuss a major infrastructure initiative.
Mohamed Daghar, the Principal Secretary for Transport, underscored the project’s significance, declaring, “We are fully committed to extending the line to Kisumu and subsequently to Malaba, which will facilitate our connection with Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
This multi-billion-shilling extension of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) is a pivotal undertaking stemming from bilateral agreements made between Kenya and China during President William Ruto’s trip to the Asian country in September.
Daghar further highlighted that the ministry is working in partnership with the Chinese government on numerous additional projects across various sectors, including transportation, education, and agriculture.
The SGR extension to Malaba is an integral component of the East African Railway Master Plan, designed to replace the existing meter-gauge railways in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, with additional extensions planned for Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
