Kenya Railways receives Sh300m to complete Kisumu-Butere line

BY EDWIN MUTAI
More from this author

Summary

• The Treasury and National Planning Committee redistributed the Treasury Department’s vote included in the supplementary budget to secure the money to complete work on the Meter Gauge Railroad Line (MGR).
• The committee, chaired by Homa Bay women’s representative Gladys Wanga, has also committed an additional Shsh 200 million towards the construction of the Naivasha Inland Container Depot (ICD).

Parliament has given Shillings 300 million to Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) to complete rehabilitation works on the Kisumu-Butere line.

The Treasury and National Planning Committee redistributed the Treasury Department’s vote included in the supplementary budget to secure the money to complete work on the Meter Gauge Railroad Line (MGR).

“The committee recommends the following reallocations – National Treasury: Redevelopment of Kisumu-Butere rail: Addition of 300 million shillings,” the committee said in a report on the audit of Supplementary Budget I for fiscal year 2021-22.

The committee, chaired by Homa Bay women’s representative Gladys Wanga, has also committed an additional Shsh 200 million towards the construction of the Naivasha Inland Container Depot (ICD).

The company announced earlier this month that the refurbishment work that began in September 2021 is 90 percent complete. KRC plans to have the first train carrying both passengers and freight on the route in June.

The Kisumu-Butere Railway Line is an extension of the MGR that was rebuilt from Nakuru to Kisumu.

The line winds through the commercial centers of Kisian, Lela, Maseno, Luanda, Yala and Namasoli.

The Nakuru-Kisumu Line has been renovated to provide smooth freight and passenger service from the Mombasa-Nairobi-Naivasha Standard Gauge Railway (SGR).

It is expected that when completed, the renovated line will facilitate the movement of passengers and cargo from Mombasa to Butere.

The MGR provides a connection between the SGR and MGR in Naivasha. This allows cargo to be seamlessly transported from Mombasa to the East African region without having to transport it by road.

Earlier last month, Kenya Railways announced it had bought seven passenger locomotives from China to be used between Nairobi and Kisumu, expanding commuter services to Butere.

The locomotives will boost the recently refurbished metre-gauge railway which Kenya Railways will use to introduce a weekly service to Kisumu.

Kenyan Railways regional manager for Kisumu, Michael Disi, announced that passenger demand on the route had increased and therefore frequencies needed to be increased.

The train has carried over 2,000 passengers since entering service in December last year.

[email protected]