The Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) has initiated an ambitious project to develop 12 logistics and commercial hubs along the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) line that runs 966 kilometers from Mombasa to Malaba, near the Ugandan border.
This flagship initiative aligns with the country’s broader strategy to modernize its national rail network and strengthen trade connectivity with Uganda and other landlocked countries in East Africa.
The planned hubs will support both the SGR and the older Meter Gauge Railway (MGR) under phases 2B and 2C of the national railway project. KRC intends to undertake two major steps: acquiring targeted land parcels for the development of these facilities, and forming partnerships with the private sector to ensure the successful implementation and long-term sustainability of the project.
The proposed sites include Narok, Bomet, Sotik or Kericho, Nyamira, Kisumu, Luanda or Vihiga, and Kakamega or Mumias. These logistics platforms are expected to enhance integration between Kenya’s transport network and regional markets, including Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Key to this development is the Naivasha-Kisumu-Malaba segment (369 km), along with the proposed Narok-Kisumu link (255 km) and the ongoing modernization of the port of Kisumu, which handled 90 vessels in 2022. Eventually, Phase 3 of the railway project will extend the line from Malaba to Kampala and further to Kigali, consolidating the East African rail corridor. Feasibility studies are currently underway to support this regional ambition.
