He Took One Look at the SGR Numbers and Exposed What They Didn’t Want You to See

Democracy for the Citizens’ Party (DCP) Nairobi patron Irungu Nyakera has raised serious concerns over the escalating costs of Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) extension, pointing out that the planned phase from Naivasha through Kisumu to Malaba is projected to cost nearly twice as much per kilometre as the original Mombasa–Nairobi line.

Speaking during a local television interview, Nyakera noted that while the initial diesel-powered SGR segment cost approximately KSh 988 million per kilometre, the upcoming Naivasha–Malaba extension is estimated at around KSh 1.77 billion per kilometre.

He questioned the procurement approach and timing, suggesting that politically driven deadlines ahead of upcoming election cycles risk compromising cost efficiency and public transparency.

Nyakera’s remarks coincide with an intensifying national debate sparked by the World Bank’s Kenya Economic Update.

The international lender revealed that non-competitive procurement and inflated land acquisition costs caused Kenya to spend significantly more on the initial SGR line compared to regional peers.

According to the report, Kenya could have saved up to KSh 116 billion ($900 million) had the Mombasa–Nairobi section matched the per-kilometre construction cost of Tanzania’s electrified Dar es Salaam–Dodoma line (KSh 741 million per km) or Djibouti’s electrified rail line (KSh 689 million per km).

The sharp cost disparity has renewed calls from political commentators, economic analysts, and civil society groups for a thorough audit of public infrastructure procurement.

Critics argue that as the nation navigates fiscal consolidation and heavy public debt repayment obligations, mega-projects must undergo competitive bidding to prevent capital flight and protect taxpayers from avoidable expenditure overruns.

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https://peopledaily.digital/news/nyakera-questions-sgr-cost-jump-as-kenya-faces-ksh380b-savings-debate

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