Naivasha-Kisumu-Malaba SGR Breaks Years of Deadlock

The long-awaited Naivasha–Kisumu–Malaba Standard Gauge Railway has entered the construction phase, bringing an end to years of uncertainty.

The project, which began in Narok on July 1, will link Naivasha to the Kenya-Uganda border through Bomet, Kericho, Nyamira and Kisumu – covering 475 kilometres.

It will be implemented in two sections. Phase 2B will cover 264km from Naivasha to Kisumu, including an 8.9km line to Kisumu Port, while Phase 2C will stretch from Kisumu to Malaba.

The extension has been one of Kenya’s most delayed infrastructure projects.

Initially referred to as Phase 2B of the SGR programme, the railway was planned to continue from Naivasha through Narok, Bomet, Kisumu, Bumula and eventually Malaba.

Plans stalled in September 2018 after China declined to finance the Naivasha–Kisumu section following the completion of the Nairobi–Naivasha railway.

The Sh700 billion project is being implemented by China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), which also worked on earlier phases of Kenya’s SGR.

However, details on how the Naivasha–Kisumu–Malaba extension will be financed have not been made public. The financing question has remained a key issue since 2018, when China, which financed the Mombasa–Naivasha section, declined to approve funding for the extension.

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Kenya had initially expected China to provide a third round of financing for the railway, after an agreement had been reached with Chinese construction companies to undertake the works.

The finer details of the deal were expected to be concluded during former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s planned visit to China, but the trip did not take place. Chinese authorities later called for further commercial viability studies on the project before considering additional financing.

Following the setback, Kenya said it would abandon the Naivasha–Malaba SGR project and instead move to rehabilitate the existing metre-gauge railway line to Kisumu.

However, in January 2022, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi appeared upbeat about a renewed opportunity for talks on the SGR funding agreement with Kenya.

During a tour of China-funded projects in Mombasa, Wang pointed out that the SGR project had been made a priority for completion under a master plan for the Horn of Africa, aimed at expediting the construction of this region’s economic belts.

The master plan includes extending the SGR from Naivasha to Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, and eventually to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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