This archive report was first published on 15 November 2019.
Kenya has made a U-turn in its plans to revive the century-old rail network, opting instead to upgrade the old railway track from Nakuru to Kisumu at a cost of Sh3.8 billion.
Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia announced the plans on Wednesday, marking a significant shift in the government's earlier stance on reviving the line that had fallen into disrepair.
The decision has dimmed hopes of connecting the standard gauge railway (SGR) line to Uganda, a move that was seen as a key project for the region.
The refurbished rail line will connect to the recently refurbished Sh3 billion Kisumu port, which will ferry cargo to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo on ships via Lake Victoria.
This marks a change of earlier plans to upgrade the old metre gauge railway (MGR) line between Malaba border and Naivasha, where the multi-billion-shilling SGR line from Mombasa ends.
Kenya had dropped its bid to extend the SGR to Kisumu and later on to the Ugandan border after failing to secure a multi-billion-shilling loan from China, which funded the first and second phases of the new railway line.
The changes in previous plans have created a sense of betrayal for Odinga's allies, who had been hoping to use the project to woo voters from the lake region and western Kenya in the 2022 elections.
