Kenya Railways Corporation has started the process of identifying and acquiring land needed for the construction of the Naivasha-Kisumu Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) Phase 2B.
The corporation said the exercise, which is being carried out together with the National Lands Commission (NLC), involves inspecting and valuing parcels of land that will be affected by the railway project.
The process began with the gazettement, inspection and valuation of the affected properties as the government prepares to open up more sections of the railway corridor for construction.
Kenya Railways Managing Director Phillip Mainga said teams from the corporation and the NLC are engaging people whose land will be affected by the project.
The discussions are expected to help establish the land required for the railway, how the acquisition will be done and how affected landowners will be compensated.
Landowners to Be Consulted
The teams are also carrying out land data collection and verification to ensure that ownership and property records are properly captured before the next stages of the acquisition process.
Kenya Railways said land valuation, site inspections and consultations with affected people are important before construction can proceed in all sections of the route.
Construction is already underway in some parts of Narok and Kisumu counties where the required land is available.
However, work cannot begin across the entire route until the land acquisition process is completed and the necessary access is secured.
The latest exercise comes months after some landowners were notified that their properties could be acquired for the railway project.
The government has maintained that people affected by the project will be compensated fairly for their land.
SGR Expected to Reach Kisumu in 2027
The Naivasha-Kisumu section is part of the wider Naivasha-Kisumu-Malaba SGR project.
Phase 2B will pass through Narok, Bomet, Nyamira, Kericho and Kisumu counties.
People who are going to be affected by this project are supposed to get fair compensation for their land.
SGR to Connect to Kisumu in 2027
This Naivasha-Kisumu section forms part of the larger Naivasha-Kisumu-Malaba SGR project.
The second phase B will traverse Narok, Bomet, Nyamira, Kericho and Kisumu counties.
The construction of the project, which cost KSh700 billion, began in July 2026, with the government predicting that the railway will connect to Kisumu by July 2027.
On completion of the project, it is expected to carry up to 22 million tonnes of cargo annually.
The government hopes that the project will relieve the roads of congestion and facilitate the movement of goods from western Kenya to the Port of Mombasa.