This archive report was first published on 18 July 2020.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has announced plans to revamp the Kisumu railway line, a project that will start in the next two weeks. This move marks a significant policy shift, as the government had earlier ruled out reviving the line.
According to Philip Mainga, the Kenya Railways managing director, the refurbishment of the rail network, which is over a century old, will begin on August 1 and take eight months. The project aims to cut the upgrade cost by involving Kenya Railway engineers and the National Youth Service.
The refurbished line will connect to the recently revamped Sh3 billion Kisumu port, enabling the ferrying of cargo and passengers to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo via Lake Victoria.
The project's scope includes site clearance, removal of encroachments, rehabilitation of permanent way infrastructure, refurbishment of rolling stock, and leasing of locomotives. Additionally, a railway station will be constructed at Chaka, and 250 kilometers of railway line will be built to the Vivo Energy Depot in Nanyuki.
