This archive report was first published on 11 January 2020.
Phillip Mainga has been confirmed as the new Managing Director of Kenya Railways Corporation, effective February 3, 2020. Mainga has been heading the corporation in an acting capacity since August 2018, following the suspension of Atanas Maina for alleged irregular payments of SGR compensation.
Mainga's immediate task will be to oversee the refurbishment of the old railway between Naivasha and Malaba, as well as linking it with the Standard Gauge Railway that currently terminates at Suswa.
According to a letter to the chairman of Kenya Railways Corporation, Pastor Awitta, Cabinet Secretary Transport James Macharia made the decision following a recommendation by the board. Macharia stated, "...in line with the recommendation by the Board of Directors of Kenya Railways as per the resolution of 444th Special Board Meeting held on January 7, 2020, I hereby appoint Mr Philip Mainga as Managing Director of Kenya Railways for a period of three years effective from February 3, 2020."
The SGR passenger and freight services earned Sh8.8 billion over the nine months to September, a 136 per cent jump from Sh3.73 billion earned over a similar period in 2018, according to data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).
