Speaking at the opening of the East Africa Community (EAC) Inter-Parliamentary Games in Mombasa on Saturday, December 7, 2024, President Ruto highlighted the significant impact this expansion would have on the movement of goods and people within East Africa.
"We have now agreed with Uganda, Rwanda, and DRC that the Standard Gauge Railway will be extended from Naivasha to Uganda, Rwanda, and DRC so that we both can use the SGR whenever we are going to these places," he said.
The SGR extension is expected to strengthen the transportation network within the East African Community (EAC), a move that will greatly boost intra-regional trade, which currently stands at 28%.
Furthermore, the expansion is seen as a stepping stone toward greater continental integration, particularly within the framework of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Work has already begun on the SGR project in Uganda, with the first phase covering a 272 km stretch from Malaba to Kampala. This phase is slated for completion in four years. In Kenya, plans to develop the Naivasha to Kisumu line are in top gear.
The SGR extension is poised to revolutionize sectors such as agriculture, trade, tourism, and transport in the regions it serves.
"This project will not only benefit the countries directly involved but will also enhance economic cooperation throughout East Africa," said Kenya's Transport Principal Secretary Mohamed Daghar.
The development is part of a broader initiative under the East African Railway Master Plan, which aims to replace the region's aging meter-gauge railways. The plan includes integrating the rail systems of Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, with further links planned to Rwanda and the DRC.
Ruto's remarks come months after officials from the neighbouring countries signed a new agreement to expedite the SGR extension to Rwanda.
The agreement, reached during a meeting in Mombasa in May 2024, aims to overcome funding challenges that had previously delayed the project. The meeting included representatives from Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and the DRC. Rwanda's Minister of Infrastructure, Jimmy Gasore, attended the meeting.
Then Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, who has since been transferred to the Ministry of Sports, expressed confidence in the project's success.
"This historic agreement will facilitate joint resource mobilization and fast-track the completion of the SGR sections from Naivasha to Uganda, Rwanda, and DRC," he stated.
"It's a crucial step toward creating economic hubs along the corridor, transforming regions with stop stations into centers of commerce."
The construction of Kenya's SGR cost $3.6 billion, financed by a loan from China's Exim Bank. The SGR has significantly reduced the cost of transporting cargo from the Port of Mombasa to the hinterlands.
Wycliffe Nyamasege
