Uhuru and Raila to Make Maiden Train Ride from Mombasa to Kisumu

President Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga are expected to take a ride on the maiden Mombasa-Kisumu passenger train.

The two leaders are scheduled to take the over 800-kilometer trip in April, according to the Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) in the Ministry of Defense Peter Odoyo.

Odoyo told Nation that the refurbishment of the 216-kilometer old meter-gauge railway between Nakuru and Kisumu, which is being done by officers from Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) at Sh3.7 billion, is almost complete.  

“Over the next 10 days, we will be checking and repairing bridges, and hopefully, by April, Mr. Kenyatta and Mr. Odinga will officially open the Nakuru-Kisumu railway line,” said Odoyo during an inspection tour of the project. 

Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) operations manager Mwalimu Disi said the agency will conduct trials on the line once KDF completes its restoration.

“At the beginning of April, we shall have finished the repairs so that we carry out trials on the railway line to give way for full operations to resume, including the Kisumu Port,” said Disi.

The railway line, which had been neglected for over two decades, is a supporting infrastructure for the upgraded Kisumu port. 

The line will connect to the port, which will facilitate the ferrying of cargo and passengers to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo on ships via Lake Victoria. It will also be linked to the standard gauge railway (SGR) on the other end in Naivasha.

President Kenyatta was among dignitaries who took the maiden trip from Mombasa to Nairobi during the launch of the Madaraka Express commuter train on SGR.