By Nyang’au Araka
The planned extension of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from Naivasha to Malaba has stirred fresh controversy after a lawyer threatened court action.
Lawyer Dennis Anyoka Moturi is accusing Kenya Railways of sidelining Nyamira and Kisii counties in the multibillion-shilling development, despite the region’s strategic location, and possible socio-economic benefits of the project.
The project is also a political bait and some politicians have been indicating that there would be a rail station at Ikonge, which is near the Nyamira-Kericho border.
Acting on behalf of Gusii residents, Anyoka has already written to the Managing Director of Kenya Railways, demanding clarification on why Nyamira had been omitted from the list of proposed major and intermediate stations.
In the letter, he warned that failure to respond within seven days could trigger legal proceedings.
“We demand copies of design specifications that prove the existence or lack of a major or subsidiary passenger and cargo station within Nyamira or the larger Gusii region,” Moturi stated.
He also sought records of stakeholder consultations and justification for why stations were clustered in Mulot, Bomet and Sotik, before the line resumed at Sondu without a stop in Gusii.
The petition, copied to the Office of the President, the Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport and Members of Parliament from Nyamira and Kisii, accused the corporation of economic discrimination.
“It is discriminatory to bypass Gusii, yet we are a rich agricultural region,” Moturi said.
Tensions escalated further after Kenya Railways aired a radio campaign promoting the project under the tagline “Linking regions, unlocking opportunities.”
The advertisement listed stations in Narok, Mulot, Bomet, Sotik, Sondu, Ahero, Kisumu and Malaba, but made no mention of Ikonge or any other Gusii location.
The omission fuelled fears among residents that the railway would pass through Nyamira without providing passenger or cargo services, effectively turning the region into a transit corridor covering a mere 4.9km rather than a beneficiary of the infrastructure.
The SGR Phase 2B and 2C project, estimated to cost more than Sh500 billion, will run from Naivasha to Kisumu, covering over 264 kilometres.
There will be a branch line to the new Kisumu Port, before extending a further 107 kilometres to Malaba.
The line will feature 13 tunnels, 23 bridges and 376 culverts. Freight trains are expected to haul up to 4,000 tonnes at 80 kilometres per hour.
Passenger trains will carry 1,096 travellers at speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour, with an annual freight capacity of 22 million tonnes.
Kenya Railways says the project is designed to lower transport costs, enhance trade competitiveness and spur economic growth along the Northern Corridor, linking the Port of Mombasa to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Nyamira and Kisii residents, whose economies rely heavily on tea, coffee, bananas and dairy farming, see access to a railway station as critical for reducing transport costs and expanding market reach.
Local leaders argue that exclusion from the railway network would deny farmers faster and cheaper access to Kisumu, Nairobi and regional export markets.
Some have read political mischief in the designs, deliberately meant to isolate Gusii region from development due to its perceived disdain against the current government.
However, amid the growing anxiety, North Mugirango MP and Lands Committee chair in Parliament Joash Nyamoko moved to calm fears, confirming that Ikonge would indeed host a station.
Nyamoko said consultations with the government had resulted in a revision of the original design.
“We have held extensive discussions, and I am pleased to announce that there will be a station at Ikonge to tap into and boost the economic potential of the Gusii region,” Nyamoko said.
He explained that earlier plans had only provided for an interchange, but the revised design now includes a full station to allow passengers to board and disembark.
“President William Ruto himself has pronounced on the matter, and the Gusii region will not be left behind,” he added.
The MP said Parliament’s Lands Committee would closely monitor the exercise to ensure fairness.