Museveni joins Ruto to launch Naivasha–Malaba Standard Gauge Railway

President Yoweri Museveni has travelled to Kisumu, Kenya, to join President William Ruto for the launch of a major regional railway project expected to transform trade across East Africa.

In a statement posted on X on March 21, 2026, Museveni said he had travelled at Ruto’s invitation to witness the launch of the Naivasha–Kisumu–Malaba Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), which he described as strategic for the region.

He said the project will reduce transport costs, ease the movement of goods, and strengthen economic integration.

The railway is part of a wider plan to link Kenya’s port of Mombasa to Uganda and other landlocked countries in the region through a modern rail network. 

The new phase will extend the existing SGR line from Naivasha through Kisumu to Malaba at the Uganda border, completing a key missing link in the Northern Corridor transport system. 

Construction of the Naivasha–Kisumu–Malaba section is expected to begin in March 2026 after years of delays caused by financing challenges. 

The multi-billion project covers more than 260 kilometres and is seen as critical to unlocking trade in western Kenya and neighbouring countries. 

Kenya’s SGR currently runs from Mombasa to Naivasha, where cargo for Uganda and the region is transferred to trucks. The extension to Malaba will allow cargo to move seamlessly by rail to the Ugandan border, cutting transport time and cost significantly. 

Leaders in the region say the project will boost trade, improve efficiency, and support industrial growth. Officials in Kenya estimate it will lower logistics costs and revitalise supply chains across East Africa for decades. 

The project also has implications for Uganda’s own railway plans. Uganda is developing its Standard Gauge Railway from Kampala to Malaba to connect with Kenya’s network and secure a direct rail link to the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa. 

Museveni’s presence at the launch signals renewed commitment by both countries to fast-track regional infrastructure projects aimed at deepening economic integration under the East African Community framework.