Kenya restarts its railway extension to Kisumu and Malaba
After a six-year stall, work has begun on the 475km line towards the Ugandan border.
Key points
- President William Ruto broke ground on 19 March 2026 for the Naivasha–Kisumu–Malaba standard gauge railway, restarting a project stalled for more than six years.
- The 475km line, including a 264km Naivasha–Kisumu section, is expected to cost more than Ksh500 billion.
- China Communications Construction Company is the contractor; phase 2B is due to be completed by June 2027.
Kenya has restarted work on extending its standard gauge railway (SGR) west towards Uganda. President William Ruto broke ground for the Naivasha–Kisumu–Malaba line on 19 March 2026, reviving a project that had been stalled for more than six years after Chinese financing dried up.
The route
The 475-kilometre extension has two sections:
- Naivasha to Kisumu, a 264km section to the port city on Lake Victoria;
- Kisumu to Malaba, on the border with Uganda.
The government plans to spend more than Ksh500 billion on the project, with most of the money going to the longer Naivasha–Kisumu leg. Kenya Railways began works in Narok County, and the first phase, 2B, is due to be completed by June 2027.
Who is building it
The contractor is China Communications Construction Company, whose subsidiary China Road and Bridge Corporation built the existing Mombasa–Nairobi–Naivasha line.
Why it matters
Today the SGR ends at Naivasha, leaving freight to continue by road or on the old metre-gauge railway. Extending it towards Uganda would link Mombasa's port more efficiently with inland East Africa and landlocked neighbours. As we have reported, railways are becoming a battleground for African trade.
Sources
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