State starts compulsory acquisition of land for standard gauge railway

By James Anyanzwa

The Government will compulsorily acquire about 158 hectares of land for the construction of the  controversial standard gauge railway line  between Mombasa and Nairobi. The land belongs to State agencies, ministries and private individuals in Taita, Kwale and Makueni counties.  In a Gazette Notice, National Lands Commission Chairman Muhammad Swazuri said plans for the affected land would be inspected at the respective lands offices in Makueni, Wundanyi and Kwale.

Swazuri said the plans would also be inspected at the Commission’s offices in Nairobi.  “Those who are  not sure can check the plans with us or in our county offices,” he said.

Under investigation

The railway project is currently under investigation.  This is after the contractor China Road and Bridge Corporation  was allegedly awarded the contract estimated to cost Sh400 billion irregularly. 

The second phase of the project runs between Nairobi and Malaba, with a branch line to Kisumu.

Kenya Railways Corporation  with State support is developing the new railway line. Its long-term objective is to connect the Great Lakes Region from Mombasa with high capacity standard gauge railways.

The other countries on board include Uganda, DRC, Rwanda,  Southern Sudan, Northern Tanzania and Ethiopia. The Mombasa-Nairobi-Malaba standard gauge railway, with a branch to Kusumu, is a section of the Northern Corridor — a transport artery for Kenya, northern Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Eastern DRC, Southern Sudan and Ethiopia.

The high-speed railway line is intended to transform the railway transport system, from an archaic and obsolete network to a modern system in line with the aspirations of Vision 2030. Key specifications of the proposed SGR line include operating speeds of 180km/h and 120km/h for passenger and freight trains respectively.

Low capacity

 It is envisaged that the railway will be extended to Kampala, in Uganda, Kigali in Rwanda, DRC and Juba in South Sudan.

The new system is intended to replace the century old network that has failed to improve rail transport even after the Government concessioned it to private operators. The current railway system is in desperate need of investment and modernisation.