KISUMU, Kenya (CG) — William Ruto and Yoweri Museveni on Saturday jointly launched construction of the 107-kilometre Kisumu–Malaba Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) section in western Kenya.
The groundbreaking ceremony was held at Kibos, marking a key step toward linking Kenya’s rail network to Uganda and the wider East African region.
The new railway segment forms part of the Naivasha–Kisumu–Malaba corridor and is expected to complete a near 1,000-kilometre line from Mombasa to Malaba.
Ruto described the project as a transformative investment aimed at lowering the cost of doing business and strengthening regional integration, noting that high logistics costs have long undermined competitiveness in East Africa.
Once complete, the line is expected to significantly cut freight costs and transit times, improving cargo movement from the port of Mombasa to the border.
Museveni said the railway would deepen economic ties between Kenya and Uganda, while opening up trade routes to landlocked countries including Rwanda, South Sudan and Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The launch follows renewed efforts to revive the long-stalled SGR expansion, which had faced financing challenges in recent years.
Officials say the project will also spur industrial growth, with planned special economic zones in Kisumu and Busiatargeting manufacturing, logistics and trade investments along the corridor.
The Kisumu–Malaba section is expected to create jobs during construction and enhance the movement of goods and passengers across the Northern Corridor, a key trade route in East Africa.
