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Grand $15bln plan to expand Kenya SGR to Kisumu, Malaba, Isiolo
May 16, 2023
The ministry of Transport will build additional 2,746 kilometres of the standard gauge railway (SGR) to expand the Kenya SGR. Kenya has set sights on $15.3 billion plan to expand the standard gauge railway (SGR) to Kisumu, Malaba and Isiolo by the end of June 2027. Once completed, Kenya will have a total spend on the modern railway to more than $20 billion.
The plan, so far Kenya’s most expensive project, is part of the $24.9 billion
Lamu Port South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (Lapsset). Lapsset is intended at opening up northern Kenya and revamping the northern corridor by spurring movement within Kenya, South Sudan and Ethiopia. It is an aspiring scheme that will enable the modern railway reach the border town of Malaba via Kisumu. Additionally, it was initially projected to reach Kisumu and will also serve Isiolo, Moyale and the island of Lamu.
Areas that will benefit from the expansion of Kenya SGR
The line will move from Mariakani in Mombasa County to Lamu to Isiolo. From Isiolo, the SGR will be connected to the northeastern town of Moyale which borders Ethiopia. Additionally, from Isiolo, the government will expand the SGR to Nairobi, connecting the capital city and commercial hub to northern Kenya. Moreover, from Naivasha, the SGR will be extended to Malaba through Kisumu.
So far, the SGR from Mombasa to Naivasha has been funded by the Chinese at a total cost of $4.7 billion. The longest stretch of the planned SGR, 753.2 kilometres, will be from Isiolo to Nakodok. Nakodok is a small town near the border between Kenya and South Sudan.
The Transport Ministry, headed by Kipchumba Murkomen, has cost this phase of the SGR at $3.2 billion. However, the SGR stalled abruptly in Naivasha with China allegedly declining to finance the last leg of the modern railway. This happened after China failed to strike an agreement with Uganda. The new administration of President Ruto has rekindled plans to complete the SGR.