Kenya to extend standard-gauge railway to Tanzanian border

President William Ruto has announced plans to extend Kenya’s standard-gauge railway (SGR) from Voi in Taita Taveta County to the Tanzanian border. The project, estimated to cost approximately 5 billion Kenyan shillings (US$38.5 million), is designed to facilitate both passenger and freight transport to stimulate economic development in the border region.

This initiative is part of a broader effort to integrate East African transport infrastructure. Kenya is simultaneously advancing a westward extension of its SGR from Naivasha to Kisumu and onward to Malaba on the Ugandan border. Concurrently, Tanzania is expanding its own SGR network with planned connections to Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

These regional expansions aim to link major ports, such as Mombasa and Dar es Salaam, with inland markets. Such connectivity follows a significant rise in intra-East African Community trade, which grew 27% from US$14.2 billion to US$18 billion between June 2024 and June 2025.