CS Murkomen Reveals Timeline For Extending SGR To Kisumu
However, he did not reveal the exact date the construction would commence, neither did he reveal the cost of the construction.
Marvin Chege 
Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen on Saturday, January 27 announced that the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) extension from Nakuru to Kisumu is expected to be completed at the end of this year.
Murkomen revealed in a statement that the government is projecting to complete 35 per cent of the project by December 2024.
"Our commitment is to construct 35 per cent of SGR Phase 2B (Naivasha - Kisumu) by the end of 2024," he stated.
Maai Mahiu SGR station in Naivasha. /KENYA RAILWAYS
However, he did not reveal the exact date the construction would commence, neither did he reveal the cost of the construction.
The SGR was initially slated to run from Mombasa to Kisumu but the project which was started by former President Uhuru Kenyatta stalled in Nakuru owing to inadequate funds.
The first phase of the SGR which was built at a cost of more than Ksh350 billion was financed by the Chinese government.
Nonetheless, the SGR is ultimately expected to be extended from Kisumu to Uganda as per the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Kenya and Uganda on July 28, 2023.
The MOU also indicated that the railway line will be used for the transportation of goods and passengers enhancing trade between Kenya and Uganda which involves goods such as fuel and other key products transited through the Mombasa-Nairobi-Kisumu-Malaba highways.
Meanwhile, the CS indicated that the government would commence the construction of four Meter Gauge Railway (MGR) lines across the country. They include Embakasi - Ruai, Ngong - Kiserian, SGR Terminus - Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and Voi - Taveta.
"The key commitment is to increase MGR passenger numbers to six million by the end of the year," he stated.
On December 15, 2023, President William Ruto directed that the construction of the Riruta - Ngong commuter railway line should be completed in eight months.
He further instructed the contractor to ensure that works on the railway line which passes through Karen should be completed within the allocated schedule in readiness for its launch in 2024.
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