MD Kenya railways Philip Mainga: Regional Railway Masterplan Key to Unlocking East Africa Trade
By Mwende Kenya Railways Managing Director Philip Mainga has called for the urgent implementation of a harmonized regional railway masterplan to boost trade, lower logistics costs and accelerate economic integration across East Africa. Speaking at the Tanzania - Kenya Business Forum 2026 in Dar es Salaam, Mainga said seamless cross-border rail operations will be a game changer for the region’s economy, positioning rail transport as a key driver of private sector growth and investment. “We need to implement the joint railway masterplan with standardized specifications that allow our trains to move across borders without barriers,” said Mainga. “This is how we break trade bottlenecks, decongest our roads and ports, and lower the cost of doing business across East Africa.” Mainga noted that Kenya has already made significant strides through the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), which currently runs from Mombasa to Naivasha, with planned extensions to Kisumu and Malaba expecte...