NAIROBI, Kenya Jan 20 – The government lost Sh 144.2 million in revenue between August and September 2024 due to a decline in the number of passengers traveling by the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR).
Latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) indicated that the number of passengers traveling by the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) declined from 281,683 in August to 175,901 in September 2024.
During the period, the government saw a drop in revenue from Sh440.6 million to Sh296.4 million.
“The number of passengers traveling by the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) declined from 281,683 in August 2024 to 175,901 in September 2024, resulting in a corresponding drop in revenue from KSh 440.6 million to KSh 296.4 million,” KNBS stated.
In its Leading Economic Indicators report, KNBS revealed that the volume of cargo transported via the SGR also decreased from 582.4 thousand tonnes to 512.5 thousand tonnes.
KNBS, however, noted that the revenue from cargo transport slightly increased to Sh1.2 billion during the same period.
“The volume of cargo transported via the SGR decreased from 582.4 thousand tonnes to 512.5 thousand tonnes. In contrast, revenue from cargo transport slightly increased to KSh 1.2 billion,” noted KNBS.
Metre Gauge Railway (MGR) passenger usage declined from 240,026 persons in August 2024 to 231,684 persons in September 2024, while revenue from MGR passenger traffic decreased from Sh13.7 million to Sh12.4 million.
KNBS report further stated that the total volume of cargo handled at the Port of Mombasa decreased from Sh 3.8 million MT in October 2024 to 3.5 million MT in November 2024.
Export volume also dropped from 398.2 thousand MT to 379.6 thousand MT, while import volume declined from Sh2.8 million MT to Sh2.5 million MT.
Additionally, transshipment volume increased from 567.4 thousand MT to 591.8 thousand MT, while restows volume rose from 11.1 thousand MT to 12.4 thousand MT during the same period.
