This archive report was first published on 4 December 2019.
On a typical evening in Nairobi, the rush hour is in full swing, with buses to the city suburbs packed to capacity. However, at the Syokimau train station, a different story unfolds.
The station is manned, but the counter serving Rongai and Ngong destinations is a picture of sluggish traffic. At times, it can be dormant the whole day, save for a few minutes of mild activity at 'peak' hours in the mornings and evenings.
Kenya took a Sh150 billion loan from China to build this particular section of the standard gauge railway. Whether it will get passengers and cargo soon to repay that loan, only time will tell.
As we arrived at the Syokimau station at 5:20 pm, the canteen and coffee shop had already closed for the day. Station workers idled about, waiting for time to go home.
At 6:00 pm, 50 minutes to departure time, the train from Rongai announced its arrival with a loud screech. It was in this 10-carriage monster that the passengers would be riding home.
President Kenyatta had opened this Suswa line, but the slow take-off was perhaps unforeseen. As time dragged on, more people trickled in. Five minutes to departure, we started boarding.
At exactly 6:50 pm, the train began the trip across the national park to Rongai, a 23-minute journey. It was pitch dark when we arrived at the Rongai station, an immaculate, modern facility.
So, how do passengers get home? 'I always have a boda boda rider waiting for me,' says John Gathii, a resident of Maasai Lodge. He pays Sh200 for the ride home.
Not so for Diana, who lives in Kware. For her, getting home presents a fresh challenge. 'I fear being mugged but I also don’t want to sit in traffic for hours,' laments the young mother.
