Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have agreed to expand the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) lines under the Northern Corridor Integration Projects (NCIPs).
This is according to a statement after ministers from the three countries met in Mombasa and endorsed collaborating to find funding for the construction of six new SGR routes.
Together with my colleagues, Hon. Fred Byamukama, Uganda’s Minister of State for Transport, Dr. Jimmy Gasore, Rwanda’s Minister of Infrastructure, and Mr. Roger Te Biasu representing the Minister of Transport of the Democratic Republic of Congo,
we have this afternoon signed a… pic.twitter.com/4BreEFPyt7— KIPCHUMBA MURKOMEN, E.G.H (@kipmurkomen) May 3, 2024
If realised, construction will begin on the following routes:
- Naivasha-Kisumu-Malaba (Kenya) – Kenya to start construction by December 2024.
- Malaba-Kampala (Uganda) – Uganda to finalize contracts by May 31, 2024.
- Kampala-Bihanga-Kasese-Mpondwe (Uganda) – Leading into the DRC.
However, construction of these routes will proceed after securing financing for the Malaba-Kampala section:
- Bihanga-Mirama Hills (Uganda)
- Mirama Hills-Kigali (Rwanda)
- Tororo-Gulu-Nimule (Uganda) – Leading into South Sudan
- Gulu-Pakwach-Vurra (Uganda) – Leading into the DRC
Subsequently, Rwanda will explore joining the existing framework between Uganda and Yapi Merkezi to update the feasibility study for this section, ensuring compatibility with existing standards.
The ministers—Kenya’s Kipchumba Murkomen (Cabinet Secretary), Rwanda’s Jimmy Gasore (Minister of Transport), the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Roger Te Biasu (Ministerial Representative), and Uganda’s Fred Byamukama (Minister of State for Works and Transport)—agreed to establish a framework for joint maintenance of SGR infrastructure across borders.
“The Cabinet Secretary/Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to fast track the review of the Tripartite Agreement on water transport on Lake Victoria and welcomed the initiatives by Rwanda for exploring the navigability of Akagera river,” read a communique released following a meeting in Mombasa.
