A. Uganda to begin construction of its Standard Gauge railway network in April 2026.

In August 2025, Rogers Atukunda wrote of the construction of Uganda’s Standard Gauge railway network commencing in April 2026. His article can be found here. [1]

B. Uganda is to use electric traction for the Kampala to Malaba Standard Gauge Railway Line.

Uganda has recently confirmed that its Standard Gauge line from Malaba/Tororo to Kampala will operate with electric traction to European standards rather than diesel traction to Chinese standards.

Kabona Esiara of ‘The East African‘ explained in November 2025 that this required detailed negotiations between the railway authorities in Kenya and Uganda. These negotiations commenced in mid-November 2025. [2]

Uganda and Kenya were working on a raft of technical and policy measures to facilitate a seamless SGR system between the two countries as they work in the next few years on parallel finishing of their SGR lines.

Kenya says it will start constructing the Naivasha-Kisumu-Malaba line early in 2026 while construction of Uganda’s Kampala-Malaba should commence in the second quarter of 2026.

Further details can be found here. [2]

C. A series of mis-steps in the development of railways in Kenya and Uganda.

Mary Serumaga, in 2018, said that “the building of standard gauge (SGR) railways in both Uganda and Kenya and the predictable sagas that have ensued are reminiscent of the controversies surrounding the building of the Uganda and Rhodesian Railways in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Both present a framework within which it is possible finally to understand the limited achievements in development in all sectors (and frankly, underdevelopment in many) and regression in Uganda’s primary education, copper mining and agricultural sectors. Both SGR projects are tainted with suspicion of shady procurement which, if taken together with the track records of the implementers, points to corruption. It would be irresponsible to say otherwise.” [4]

“The route, design, level of service and all other decisions of the Uganda Railway of 1990 were dictated by potential profits for foreign investors (both public and private) and their local agents, and not by notions of public service and the common good of those who would bear the ultimate cost. Return on investment is not a bad thing but the Imperial government also claimed to be acting in the interests of the indigenous populations. … The difference now is that there is no pretence about whether the railways are serving the interests of the general population. The different financial implications presented by the procurement process itself, the selection of routes and the relative cost of engineering in the different terrains, plus the cost of compensating displaced landowners, provide scope for long-running, energy-depleting corruption scandals. From the outset, there has been a lack of confidence that procurement processes for the necessary services would prioritise the interests of the public over the interests of the contractor and would actively exclude the personal interests of the public servants commissioning the works. This is what is triggering the anxiety surrounding the SGRs.” [4]

“Moreover, the choice over whether to upgrade the old railway or to start afresh was not adequately debated publicly. Ditto the options on financing. For the Kenyan SGR, the most costly of the potential routes were reportedly selectively chosen. Several cheaper routes on land allegedly already in possession of the government are said to have been rejected. … There are also questions surrounding passenger service. Do the railways only serve trade or are passengers entitled to this alternative to dangerous road transport?” [4]

“Uganda owns one half of the old East African Railway. Together with the Kenyan leg, it was put under a 25-year management contract. The new owners renamed their new toy Rift Valley Railways (RVR). In 2017, after only twelve years, the governments cancelled the contracts in a move the RVR called an illegal takeover. On the Ugandan end, there were allegations of asset-stripping by previous European concessionaires as well as unpaid concession fees and massive salary arrears caused by RVR. If RVR were to successfully sue the government for cancellation of the contract, their compensation would be the first budget overrun. … The government of Uganda then signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2014 with the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), which had submitted a study. It abandoned those negotiations in favour of a second Chinese entity, the China Harbour Engineering Company. In justifying its action, the government questioned the quality of the CCECC’s study, which it said was cut and pasted from pre-existing feasibility studies (something that could have been avoided by following proper procurement procedures). CCECC insists it was a pre-feasibility study requiring less detail than a full-blown feasibility study. Whatever the case, if CCECC had followed through with its suit for US$8 million in compensation, which would have been another massive blow to the budget at inception. Whatever compensation they have agreed to has not been made public but as matters stand, the budget for the eastern leg of the SGR has gone up from CCECC’s proposed US$4.2 billion to CHEC’s US$6.7 billion.” [4]

The remainder of Mary Serumaga’s article which looks back at colonial construction work and draws parallels with 21st century procurement and construction in East Africa can be found here. [4]

D. President Yoweri Museveni’s State of the Nation Address in June 2025.

In June 2025, President Museveni highlighted significant rail developments, advancing the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project to link with Kenya and the region, aiming to cut costs and boost trade, while discussing financing for the $2.8 billion Kampala-Malaba SGR and emphasizing participation in the development of the new rail infrastructure. In essence, the 2025 address signalled a push for comprehensive road and railway modernization and expansion, leveraging oil revenues and debt financing to build a robust network for economic transformation. [5] Museveni said, “we are soon finalizing the construction of the 1,443km East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) from Buliisa to Tanga in Tanzania. The construction of the SGR, which I launched last year, is soon starting,” [5] and “the NRM Government has prioritized infrastructure development especially roads, railways and electricity.” [5] In addition, the government will be focusing on revitalizing metre-gauge lines (like Tororo-Gulu, Kampala-Malaba).

E. Kenya – Additional Madaraka Express Trains for the Christmas period.

Kenya Railways announces additional Madaraka Express trains from 8th December 2025, to 5th January 2026, to meet increased festive season demand. The Nairobi-Mombasa train departs Nairobi at 9:40 AM, arriving in Mombasa at 3:35 PM, while the Mombasa-Nairobi train leaves at 4:30 PM, reaching Nairobi at 10:55 pm. [6]

“The railway operator said the move comes in response to increased demand during the holiday period, when thousands of Kenyans and tourists journey along the scenic Nairobi-Mombasa route. … ‘We are committed to providing a safe and convenient travel experience, and the additional services will help ease congestion while maintaining punctuality’ reads the notice dated 2nd December.” [7]

References

1. Rogers Atukunda; Uganda to Begin Construction of Standard Gauge Railway in April 2026; in SoftPower News, https://softpower.ug/uganda-to-begin-construction-of-standard-gauge-railway-in-april-2026, accessed on 24th November 2025
2. Kabona Esiara; Uganda prefers European standard for SGR, throwing off Kenya; in The East African, 25th November 2025; via https://www.zawya.com/en/world/africa/uganda-prefers-european-standard-for-sgr-throwing-off-kenya-j9zxxa2r, accessed on 24th November 2025.
3. https://www.sgr.go.ug, accessed on 24th November 2025.
4. Mary Serumaga; The New Lunatic Express: Lessons not learned from the East African Railway; in The Elephant – African Analysis, Opinion, and Investigation; https://www.theelephant.info/analysis/2018/06/16/the-new-lunatic-express-lessons-not-learned-from-the-east-african-railway; accessed on 7th December 2025.
5. https://parliamentwatch.ug/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/STATE-OF-THE-NATION-ADDRESS-HE-VERY-FINAL-2025_250605_160027.pdf, accessed on 7th December 2025.
6. The Kenya Times; https://www.facebook.com/groups/thekenyatimes/posts/1532674321328248, accessed on 8th December 2025.
7. https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2025-12-02-kenya-railways-adds-extra-madaraka-express-train, accessed on 8th December 2025.