Ruto, Museveni outline regional trade expansion plan with Kisumu–Malaba SGR extension

President William Ruto on Saturday commissioned the construction of the Kisumu–Malaba Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) line, in a historic move that is set to position Kenya as a prime hub for trade.

The event was attended by Uganda President Yoweri Museveni, who also gave a detailed plan of extending the railway into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The government now says it will set up industrial parks in earmarked areas to allow maximum exploitation of the train’s cargo capacity.

During the event, the two leaders tightened the first bolt of the 107-kilometre SGR line, marking the first step in an elaborate plan to position Kenya as a prime hub for logistics in the Eastern Africa region.

The two Heads of State outlined the role of the private sector in spurring economic growth by upscaling local manufacturing to churn out enough volumes for the 4,000-tonne freight capacity train.

“We will promote the development of industrial parks, logistics hubs, and commercial centres driven by private sector investment and anchored in regional trade,” Ruto said.

Museveni added: “The private sector can come in in the electricity. But we must agree beforehand about the prices. What prices are you going to charge per kilowatt hour?”

Museveni also outlined plans of extending the SGR line from Malaba, with President Ruto touting the move as fulfilment of a vision held by Raila Odinga during his time as the African Union envoy for infrastructure development.

“It was never a railway to nowhere. It was always our plan that this railway was going to be a railway to prosperity. It was going to be a railway to the transformation of the Republic of Kenya,” said Ruto.

Museveni on his part said, “We are already pushing our part from Malaba to Kampala, from Kampala to Kasese, Kasese to Mpondwe, linking with DRC, and then we are working on the railway from Tororo to Gulu to Nimule, and the line from Mahanga to Kigali.”

The SGR line now makes Kisumu an intermodal transport hub with a railway line, water transport through the Kisumu port, and a vast road network.

The commissioning of phase 2C of the SGR line represents an economic awakening, one that will place Kenya as a logistical hub within the East African region and open it up for more trade opportunities.