This archive report was first published on 5 December 2019.
Published on December 5, 2019, a report highlighted the underutilization of the Sh150 billion standard gauge railway extension from Nairobi to Suswa in Narok County.
The line, which was initially planned to extend to Naivasha, Kisumu, and Busia border, has been operating far below capacity, with trains only running to Rongai and Ngong on a daily basis and to Suswa over the weekend.
At its launch, the line was termed a 'railway to nowhere' by this newspaper, a label that was dismissed by the administration as anti-development. However, the reality is sinking in.
The SGR line from Mombasa to Nairobi, which was built at a cost of Sh327 billion, has also been struggling to make ends meet, with Kenya Railways spending Sh12 billion to run the trains in the first year of operation but only generating less than Sh10 billion in income.
The government has been forced to push through policies to help recoup the money, including forcing cargo operators from Mombasa port to use the railway. However, businesses do not operate in this manner.
The government must review the SGR line to Suswa and find a more practical way of making it work, rather than letting the infrastructure waste away.
