Kenya Railways assures Kisumu residents of compensation ahead of SGR commissioning

Kenya Railways has sought to allay fears of forceful land takeover, assuring that bona fide Kisumu residents affected by the construction of the 269-kilometre Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) line shall be compensated in due course.

Residents of Kisumu have expressed optimism over Saturday’s commissioning of the SGR line by President William Ruto, which is set to revamp trade and tourism in the region.

Apart from direct employment, the residents outlined a raft of ventures they plan to pursue in relation to the new line.

The SGR is expected to provide logistics solutions, while offering opportunities to expand local industries and strengthen Kenya’s export capacity.

“Being a central area, Kisumu needs to be an artery of business acumen and business transactions, and we look forward to seeing the neighbourhood really picking up value addition of our materials,” said Kenya Railways Corporation MD Philip Mainga.

Milling around the commissioning site, residents outlined their plans to secure both direct and indirect jobs, while praising the expected ease of movement for goods and passengers.

“Kutravel yetu itakuwa rahisi maana magari imetuumiza sana. Tunaona tutakuwa tunatumia ya zamani, lakini na hii ya kisasa, tunaona ni kama itakuwa cheaper. Dakika kidogo, ushafika Mombasa,” a resident, Tom Omukuba, stated.

David Gitahi added, “Tunashukuru Rais juu akizindua hii reli, inakuja na kazi, na hii kazi itasaidia wale walikuwa wanafanya idling. Haitakuwa, na kila mtu atapata nafasi ya kazi kulingana na ujuzi wake.”

A total of 5,000 acres will be used for the SGR corridor, with Kenya Railways pledging prompt compensation for those affected.

“We have identified the Project Affected Persons (PAPS). National Land Commission (NLC) is on the ground. By this week, the gazettement will be done, then we go to valuation and then we compensate them, so we are on course,” Mainga noted.

Phase 2B of the SGR features a 264km main line and an 8.69-kilometre branch leading to the Kisumu port. It has a freight capacity of 4,000 tonnes as well as a 120km/hr passenger train.