NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 19 – President William Ruto has broken ground for the Naivasha–Kisumu–Malaba Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) line in Narok, marking a major step in expanding Kenya’s rail network to the western border.
The launch follows a meeting at State House, Nairobi with Song Hailiang, Chairman of China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), ahead of the phased rollout of the SGR extension to Kisumu and Malaba.
Chinese contractors, including China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), are leading the engineering and construction works. Also present were CCCC Vice-President Chen Zhong and CRBC Chairman Du Fei.
The extension spans about 369 kilometres from Naivasha through Narok to Kisumu and onward to Malaba.
Once complete, the line will link the Mombasa port to western Kenya and neighbouring countries including Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“The SGR extension will position Kenya as the regional trade and logistics hub, linking Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the Port of Mombasa while unlocking the economic potential of Western Kenya,” Ruto said.
“It will also ease road congestion by shifting bulk cargo to rail, cutting costs, saving time, and improving safety across our highways.”
The project is estimated to cost Sh549 billion ($5.49 billion), with Sh380 billion allocated for the Naivasha–Kisumu section and Sh169 billion for Kisumu–Malaba.
Funding will come from a mix of government allocations, loans, and strategic partnerships with Chinese contractors.
The government says the SGR extension will stimulate investment along key towns, boost exports, and lower the cost of transporting goods across East Africa, supporting Kenya’s broader infrastructure and industrialisation agenda.
