CS Murkomen Orders Increase Of Trains To Kisumu Ahead Of Christmas

The number of trains carrying people and cargo to Kisumu must increase, by government instruction, starting the following week. During a tour of the Naivasha Inland Container Depot on Thursday, Kipchumba Murkomen, the cabinet secretary for transportation, made the news. According to CS Murkomen, the action will help to lessen traffic throughout the holiday season. In order to accommodate the increased demand brought on by the holiday season and relieve pressure on our highways, the CS authorized Kenya Railways to increase the number of trains to Kisumu from December 21, 2022, to January 3, 2023.

The CS spoke after he commissioned the Rail Mounted Gantry Cranes (RMGS) at the depot while in the company of the Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Zhou Pingjian. He said the cranes would ease the loading and offloading of containers between trailers and the trains as he lauded the partnership between the two countries. "...Rail Mounted Gantry cranes will ease the loading and offloading of containers from trailers to SGR and MGR trains, and from SGR and MGR trains to the trailers. Kenya appreciates the good working relationship between the two countries whose signature is the SGR among other infrastructure projects," he noted.

CS Murkomen emphasized his administration's dedication to expanding rail transportation for both people and cargo. He mentioned both the Standard Gauge Railways (SGR) and the Meter Gauge Railways (MGR), saying the administration would redesign the two systems to boost their distribution and carrying capacity throughout the nation. The development of the Naivasha Inland Container Depot to handle cargo headed for various locations around the nation and the region is a priority for the government, he added. "We want to improve the movement of people and commodities by using rail transit, which is quick, safe, and less expensive. Along the former MGR routes, we will also be striving to reinstate passenger trains.

"Furthermore, we will be expanding the number of wagons and coaches, which, together with the outdated wagons and coaches presently being updated at our Nairobi facilities, will boost capacity for passenger transportation," he continued. As a result, he disclosed a government proposal to finish the Suswa-Kisumu SGR, which already exists and travels through Bomet, Nyamira, sections of Kisii, and Malaba. Additionally, he stated that there were plans to enhance the MGR in the aforementioned regions.

At the same time, Murkomen urged to investors to create a new railway line from Lamu to Moyale, through Garissa, and to South Sudan through Turkana in a bid to boost trade across the country and the region.