Uganda prefers European standard for SGR, throwing off Kenya
Uganda prefers the European standard for its standard gauge railway (SGR) to the Chinese one, a move that negates the Northern Corridor member states’ desire to operate seamless cargo and passenger trains.
As such, the Uganda proposed electric SGR line would lock out Kenya’s diesel-powered locomotives within its territory, something experts describe as an operational barrier that has to be dismantled.
The concerns of the private sector have prompted Uganda and Kenya to agree on a raft of technical and policy measures to facilitate a seamless SGR system between the two countries as they work on parallel finishing of their SGR lines.
Kenya says it will start constructing the Naivasha- Kisumu-Malaba line early next year while Uganda’s Kampala-Malaba is to commence in the second quarter of 2026, officials say.
Ugandan permanent secretary in the Ministry of Works and Transport Waiswa Bageya has proposed aligning the Uganda design with the Kenyan one, structures, traction power, signalling, communications, rolling stock, and operations.
