Kenya has announced plans to extend its Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) to Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), marking a significant milestone in the push for regional economic integration and enhanced trade connectivity within East and Central Africa. President William Ruto made the announcement during the opening ceremony of the 14th East African Community (EAC) Inter-Parliamentary Games in Mombasa, a coastal city in southeastern Kenya.
The extension of the SGR is part of Kenya’s broader strategy to position itself as a critical trade and logistics hub in the region, ensuring seamless movement of goods and people across borders. President Ruto emphasized that the railway project would deepen economic ties among EAC member states and beyond, facilitating regional integration while boosting bilateral and multilateral trade.
Speaking to delegates and parliamentarians gathered for the event, President Ruto expressed his government’s commitment to delivering an efficient, cost-effective, and modern transport network to connect key economic centers in the region.
“The Speaker informed us that they used the SGR with 140 MPs from the Kenyan Parliament to Mombasa,” Ruto noted. “I want to give you more good news […] the SGR will be extended from Naivasha to Uganda, and Rwanda to DRC so that in a few years, they too can use the SGR when they want to come to Mombasa.”
His remarks underscored the railway’s importance as a transformative tool for regional development. The SGR, which currently runs from Mombasa to Naivasha, has already played a key role in reducing transportation costs and transit times for goods. Extending the line into neighboring countries would allow landlocked Uganda, Rwanda, and the vast resource-rich DRC to access the Port of Mombasa, one of Africa’s busiest maritime gateways.
“This successful trial run served as a demonstration of the SGR’s potential,” Ruto said, adding that the railway will not only reduce costs but also improve the movement of goods and people across the region.
The SGR’s efficiency has been praised as a game-changer for Kenya’s domestic logistics and transport sectors. Its planned expansion is expected to replicate similar success across neighboring economies, where trade bottlenecks caused by poor infrastructure have long stifled growth.
The ambitious SGR extension will be implemented in phases, with the first major segment connecting Kenya to Uganda. Construction is set to commence in January 2024, starting from the border city of Malaba in Kenya to Kampala, Uganda’s capital. This 272-kilometer leg is expected to take approximately two years to complete and will significantly cut down transit times for goods moving between the two countries.
Currently, transporting cargo from the Port of Mombasa to Kampala takes around 14 days, primarily via road networks. Upon completion of the SGR extension, this transit time will be reduced to just 24 hours, offering a faster, safer, and more reliable alternative for businesses and traders.
The subsequent phases of the project will see the railway extended to Kigali, Rwanda, and eventually to the DRC, a vast and resource-abundant country with immense trade potential. The SGR’s expansion to these regions will not only facilitate cross-border trade but also unlock economic opportunities for industries such as agriculture, mining, and manufacturing.
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