Ruto announces Ksh5B SGR extension to Tanzania

President William Ruto has announced plans to extend Kenya's Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from Voi to Tanzania, as part of initiatives to enhance cross-border trade and passenger transport. During a church service in Mwatate, Taita Taveta County on September 27, Ruto stated that the government has allocated nearly Ksh5 billion for the proposed project, which will connect Voi to Taveta and then extend the railway into Tanzania.

Speaking alongside the ongoing SGR expansion from Naivasha to Kisumu and the Malaba border, Ruto emphasized the importance of linking Voi to Tanzania as part of the railway extension. The railway will feature stations in Mwatate, Bura, Mwakitau, and Taveta before crossing into Tanzania, facilitating the movement of both passengers and cargo, thereby boosting economic activity.

Ruto affirmed that the railway will enhance railway connectivity across East Africa, particularly between Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. The 475-kilometre Naivasha-Kisumu-Malaba project, currently underway, aims to strengthen ties between western Kenya and neighboring Uganda. The proposed SGR extension comes after the government launched the rehabilitation of the existing Voi-Mwatate-Taveta metre-gauge railway in April 2026, investing Ksh5.5 billion.

The government also plans to build a dry port in Voi, aiming to restore a trade corridor linking Mombasa, Voi, Taveta, and northern Tanzania. The SGR extension announcement, made during Ruto's tour of the Coast region, highlights a separate SGR development along the Voi-Taveta-Tanzania corridor with an estimated investment of nearly Ksh5 billion.