President William Ruto has announced plans to extend Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from Voi to Tanzania through Taveta.
Speaking during a church service in Mwatate on Sunday, September 27, Ruto said the proposed extension would strengthen railway connectivity between Kenya and its neighbouring East African Community partners.
The President said the government has set aside nearly Ksh5 billion for the project, which will include the construction of SGR stations in Mwatate, Bura, Mwakitau and Taveta before the railway crosses into Tanzania.
Ruto noted that the SGR network has already been extended from Mombasa to Nairobi and Naivasha, with further plans linking Naivasha to Kisumu and Malaba through western Kenya.
He said extending the railway towards Tanzania would complement ongoing efforts to improve regional connectivity through East Africa’s railway network.
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The announcement follows the government’s expansion of the SGR from Naivasha towards Kisumu. Ruto has previously argued that extending the railway into western Kenya is necessary to connect major agricultural and industrial production zones to markets and transport networks.
The President said the railway corridor would link Nairobi’s industrial areas with key agricultural regions, including Narok, Bomet, Nyamira, Kericho, Busia and Kisumu.
According to Ruto, the region has significant economic potential, with western Kenya producing commodities such as tea, maize, sugar and rice, while Lake Victoria supports a major fishing industry.
He said improved railway connectivity would help facilitate the movement of goods and strengthen agricultural processing and industrialisation across the region.
