Kenya commits to start construction of SGR Naivasha-Kisumu-Malaba line » Capital News

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 3 – The government has committed to start construction of the Naivasha-Kisumu-Malaba and Malaba-Kampala standard gauge railway (SGR) line by December.

In a joint statement following a meeting of cabinet secretaries and regional ministers on Friday, Kenya and Uganda completed the harmonization of technical specifications and standards.

“The Secretary/Cabinet Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to accelerate the completion of construction of the remaining sections of the SGR from Naivasha in Kenya to Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and develop an implementation roadmap” , reads the statement.

Ministers have also committed to establishing a framework that facilitates the cross-border maintenance of SGR assets and facilities.

Additionally, they are committed to harmonizing the planning and development of inland waterway transportation infrastructure, including the development of navigation charts to provide seamless multimodal transportation services within the NCIP.

“The Cabinet Secretary and Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to accelerate the development and harmonization of the political, legal and institutional framework for SGR and pursue joint mobilization of resources,” the statement read.

The meeting was attended by Kipchumba Murkomen, Cabinet Secretary of the Ministry of Roads and Transport, Jimmy Gasore, Minister of Infrastructure of the Republic of Rwanda, Roger Te Biasu representing the Minister of Transport of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Fred Byamukama, Minister of State of Works and Transport (Transport) of the Republic of Uganda.)

The governments of Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda signed a tripartite agreement in 2014 to build a standard gauge railway from Mombasa through Kampala to Kigali, Rwanda.

However, the SGR came to an abrupt end in Naivasha, reportedly because China refused to fund the remaining part of the new railway after failing to reach an agreement with Uganda.

the 31^street In July 2023, Kenya and Uganda jointly signed a statement on the financing and development of two major railway projects, the Naivasha-Kisumu-Malaba Standard Gauge Railway and the Malaba-Kampala SGR, to be implemented in their respective countries.

The agreement was formalized with the signing of an agreement with Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen and his Ugandan counterpart Edward Katumba-Wamala.

The SGR was one of the Jubilee government’s mega projects aimed at helping accelerate economic growth.

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