Government sets aside Ksh.25 billion for SGR land compensation

Kenya Railways Corporation Managing Director Philip Mainga said the National Land Commission (NLC) is conducting public participation ahead of the compensation process for affected landowners.

Mainga said the commission had also granted Kenya Railways early access to some sections of land as negotiations and valuation exercises with affected property owners continue.

The affected landowners have expressed willingness to participate in the public participation process and work with the government to ensure smooth compensation negotiations.

Speaking during a public participation session, Mzee Stephen Ruto of Kapkesosio village said the community welcomed the project, noting that it would connect Bomet County to the rest of the country, the East African region and beyond.

Construction of SGR Phase 2B is gathering pace, with work having commenced early in some areas, including Narok County.

The railway will cover approximately 98 kilometres in Narok County, while the wider corridor will pass through Bomet, Nyamira, Kericho, Homa Bay and Kisumu counties.

Mainga said the project was being developed as an SGR Economic Belt, with logistics hubs and value-addition facilities planned along the railway corridor to support trade and local industries.

In Narok, the focus will be on agriculture, livestock and tourism, while Bomet and Kericho are expected to host logistics hubs targeting the tea sector.

Kisumu is also expected to have a logistics hub focused on fish, including facilities to support storage and transportation to other markets.

The railway is expected to improve the movement of locally produced goods, including tea, coffee and sugar, to the Port of Mombasa for export.

The project is also expected to create jobs and provide business opportunities for small enterprises as part of the government's Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.

President William Ruto launched construction of the railway on March 19, 2026. The project is expected to take approximately two years to complete, with the Narok railway station projected to be partially complete by June 2027.