Editing by: HAPC Monitoring Unit,

Date:3/2026

Kenyan President, William Ruto, and his Ugandan counterpart, Yoweri Museveni , inaugurated the second phase of the joint train project linking the two countries, from Kisumu to Malaba , during a ceremony held in Kisumu, western Kenya, with popular and political attendance from both countries.

The Kenyan presidency stated that the new railway linking Kisumu and Malaba will serve as a new economic gateway to the western region and Lake Victoria, and will boost activity in the agriculture, manufacturing and fishing sectors.

This project forms a key link between the railway networks of the two countries as a feeder line for international trade and logistical connectivity towards East Africa, in addition to the expectation of reducing the high transportation costs once this railway is extended, and most importantly facilitating the movement of goods from the port of Mombasa to Uganda and the rest of the neighboring landlocked countries.

During the earlier phase of the railway project extending from Narok to Kisumu , the Kenyan president at the time described it as a “strategic economic project” to make the region a key center for agricultural and industrial development, given western Kenya’s production of many diverse commodities such as tea, sugar, rice, maize, and the fishing sector in Lake Victoria.

Kenyan President Ruto reiterated that this phase represents the completion of the national vision aimed at connecting Kenya with high efficiency, and to consolidate his country’s position as a major center of trade in the Great Lakes region and the entire African continent.

Observers believe that Kenya’s ambition extends beyond the development of infrastructure and transportation. It continues to expand, extend, and link its railways network with the countries of the region to invest in the port of Mombasa as a major maritime trade outlet that includes all the landlocked countries in Central and East Africa. At the forefront of these countries are its neighbors Uganda and Ethiopia. Ethiopia is also expected to turn to leasing the port of Mombasa, Kenya, and extending the railway to transport its maritime goods as a strategic alternative to the ports of the Horn of Africa, especially in light of the complex geopolitical situation in the Red Sea, according to future expectations.