Construction has officially commenced on the 107-kilometre Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) section between Kisumu and Malaba, marking a significant step in the expansion of East Africa’s regional rail network. Kenyan President William Ruto and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni jointly launched the project, which will complete Kenya’s final SGR segment to the Ugandan border and form part of the nearly 1,000-kilometre railway corridor connecting the Port of Mombasa to Malaba.
The long-awaited project, which had been delayed for almost six years due to financing challenges, is expected to enhance cross-border connectivity, reduce transport costs, and improve the movement of freight across the region. Once completed, the railway will connect with Uganda’s planned Malaba–Kampala line, creating a modern transport corridor that will also benefit Rwanda, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The construction project continues Kenya’s collaboration with China on major infrastructure developments. China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) will oversee the works, building on its role in delivering the earlier Mombasa–Nairobi and Nairobi–Naivasha SGR sections under the Belt and Road Initiative.
President Ruto described the railway as a transformative infrastructure investment that will stimulate industrial development, logistics hubs and agricultural trade along the corridor, while President Museveni highlighted its importance in lowering transport costs for landlocked Uganda and boosting regional trade competitiveness.
