Construction of the Kisumu Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) station officially commenced today, with contractors moving on-site to break ground on a project slated to fundamentally reshape the lakeside city’s transport and economic landscape.

The ground-breaking ceremony was attended by Kisumu Governor Prof. Anyang’ Nyong’o, Kisumu County Commissioner Mohamed Ramadhan, and senior transport officials who lauded the national administration’s commitment to extending structured rail transport to Western Kenya.

Speaking at the site, Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) Managing Director Philip Mainga stated that the mega-project will be delivered within a strict timeline of one year.

“The contractor is commencing work exactly as promised by President William Ruto,” Mainga noted.

“We fully expect that this infrastructure will be complete on time to transform the urban layout of this city. This will be one of the largest stations in the country, occupying a massive 100 acres of land. It is designed to be a fully integrated ‘Railway City,’ and residents will begin noticing visible structural changes within the next four months.”

Mainga called on the local community to cooperate with the construction teams to ensure civil works proceed without operational delays.

Addressing the social impact of the rail corridor expansion, the KRC boss reassured land occupants that land acquisition and subsequent financial compensation frameworks are being actively managed by the National Land Commission (NLC).

Land acquisition and compensation

“We understand that there are community members who are going to be affected by the project alignment—those we classify as Project Affected Persons (PAPs).

The NLC is firmly on top of things regarding regularizing compensation,” Mainga explained. He issued a stern warning to illegal encroachers, adding, “We will not tolerate artificial delays. I want to explicitly warn all individuals who have illegally invaded KRC land reserves to vacate immediately and allow the public utility project to continue unimpeded.”

On his part, Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o welcomed the project as a massive win for local economic empowerment.

He urged the main contractor to prioritize the recruitment of local youth and subcontractors for non-specialized labor throughout the construction timeline.

“This project must not just build tracks; it must build livelihoods,” Nyong’o emphasized. “We demand that our local community members are meaningfully employed, upskilled, and economically empowered while this massive development takes shape in our county.”