By Spy Uganda
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has arrived in Kisumu at the invitation of Kenyan President William Ruto to participate in the launch of the Naivasha–Kisumu–Malaba Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), a major infrastructure project aimed at strengthening transport links across East Africa.
The extension is designed to push Kenya’s modern rail network closer to the Ugandan border, forming a critical segment of the Northern Corridor that connects the port of Mombasa to inland markets.
Kenya’s current SGR line runs from Mombasa to Naivasha. Extending the tracks to Malaba on the border will allow for a seamless connection to Kampala, addressing the high costs previously associated with moving goods between the railhead and the sea.
The Kenyan section is estimated to cost more than $5.5 billion, while the Ugandan portion is priced at $3 billion. Uganda has already contracted the Turkish firm Yapi Merkezi to begin work on the 273-kilometer line from Malaba to Kampala. In January, the Islamic Development Bank discussed contributing 405 million euros to the project.
A Kenyan government statement noted that the modern railway will reduce travel time between Kampala and Nairobi from 14 hours to approximately four hours. Freight transport costs are expected to drop by nearly 35 percent.
“The Nairobi-Kampala rail link is projected to be completed by 2028, forming a crucial part of the East African regional transport network,” the statement said. Future plans include extending the line to Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Waiswa Bageya, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Works and Transport, said the Ugandan network will have the capacity to move 20 million to 30 million tonnes of cargo annually.
“It will reduce road damage, lower emissions and cut the cost of doing business,” Bageya said during a recent symposium at Speke Resort Munyonyo. He added that the railway would help reduce road accidents in Uganda, where heavy truck traffic contributes to more than 4,000 deaths each year.
Charles Ocici, director general of Enterprise Uganda, said the shift from road to rail will save the government billions in maintenance costs. He predicted the improved flow of cargo could reduce the price of some commodities by as much as 50 percent.
Manufacturers also anticipate a more stable supply chain. Ezra Muhumuza, executive director of the Uganda Manufacturers Association, said the SGR will increase business competitiveness and provide a logistics system less vulnerable to fuel price hikes or regional disruptions.
David Mugabe, the SGR project’s senior public relations officer, said compensation for affected residents has been completed in nine districts, with work continuing in Mukono, Wakiso and Kampala.
The total planned Ugandan SGR network is approximately 1,724 kilometers. Works Minister Edward Katumba Wamala said that once the Malaba-Kampala section is halfway complete, the government will begin extending routes toward South Sudan, Rwanda and the Congo.
