A debate has emerged over the extension of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) to Malaba after Kirinyaga Woman Representative Njeri Maina raised concerns about the financial burden it would place on taxpayers.
Speaking on Monday, March 23, Maina argued that Kenyans would ultimately shoulder the cost of the infrastructure project.
"The Kenyan tax payer is going to bear the burden of paying for the SGR extension to Malaba," she said.
Njeri's comments quickly drew a response from ODM Communications Director Philip Etale who acknowledged her point but criticized what he described as outrage over development projects in different regions.
Etale maintained that while it is true taxpayers fund major infrastructure, this has always been the case across the country.
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"I agree that the taxpayer is going to bear the burden of paying for the SGR extension to Malaba. It is a fact. But wasn’t it the same taxpayer who bore the burden of paying for the Thika Superhighway, whose economic viability is still in question? Stop taking us for fools. When it comes to Western Kenya, you become too noisy," he responded.
President William Ruto on Thursday, March 19, presided over the launch of the SGR extension from Naivasha to Malaba.
Speaking during the launch in Narok County, he said the extension of the SGR is necessary to unlock its full potential.
Ruto pointed out that SGR is currently incomplete as it does not reach the major production zones in the western Kenya region.
"From the onset, we were clear that for the SGR to unlock its full potential and economic value, it would have to extend beyond Narok.
"A railway that terminates at Narok is incomplete because it does not reach the major production of western Kenya, it does not connect with the lake transport system in Kisumu and does not capture the full volume of outbound freight that sustains modern rail economy in the eastern African region," he said.
Ruto highlighted that transport cargo from the port of Mombasa reached 7.37 million tons in the first 6 months of 2025, with nearly 70% of the cargo destined for Uganda.
However, he observed that the cargo from Mombasa to the Malaba border takes up to 80 hours and over 100 hours to get to Kampala, Uganda.
"A slow transport corridor inevitably loses business and weakens our competitiveness as a nation. It is this gap that makes the 262.3km Narok-Kisumu section, Phase 2B of our SGR network, not just an extension, but a strategic economic intervention," he added.
Ruto mentioned that the extension of the SGR will connect the industrial corridor in Nairobi to the agricultural heartland of Narok, Bomet, Nyamira, Kericho, Busia and Kisumu counties.
He observed that the 6 counties hold immense economic potential, which will be accelerated by the railway line.
"This corridor holds immense economic potential. Western Kenya produces tea, maize, sugar and rice and supports a vibrant fishing sector in Lake Victoria and also supplies critical inputs of agricultural processing and industrialisation," he further said.
Ruto also said the extension of the SGR will decongest roads, hence reducing accidents and lowering maintenance costs.
"It will decongest our roads. Each freight train removes hundreds of trucks from our highways, reducing accidents, lowering maintenance costs and saving lives," he continued.
Ruto also noted that the SGR will lower the cost of transport across the economy, which will translate into lower food prices, affordable construction, and industrial competitiveness.
"There is a sound economic logic that underpins this project. First, it will lower the cost of transport across our economy. Every reduction in logistics costs translates into lower food prices, more affordable construction, and greater industrial competitiveness," he explained.
Further, Ruto said the SGR will position Kisumu as a logistics hub with rail, road and lake transport integrated.
"Kisumu will become a centre of distribution of trade serving not only Kenya but also the wider East African region," he remarked.
Additionally, Ruto said the extension of the railway line will create jobs and enterprise opportunities during construction, through logistics hubs, and across agriculture, trade, and manufacturing.
The SGR extension to Kisumu and Malaba will include 79 railway bridges, 8 tunnels, 376 culverts, and 26 stations in the initial phase.
The project will also have an 8.68-kilometre branch line linking the main railway to the proposed Kisumu Port.
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