Uganda plans to build railway connecting Kampala to Kenya and later to South Sudan

Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has proposed plans to build a new standard gauge railway (SGR) linking Kampala, the capital city, with the Kenyan border, reports say.

“We’re going to build a brand-new SGR line from Kampala to Kasese. Later on, we will extend it from Kampala to the border of Kenya and then to South Sudan,” he said.

The Ugandan leader said the project aims to lower the cost of transport and improve the country’s competitiveness.

The announcement may also help extend the Chinese-funded SGR from Naivasha to Malaba via Kisumu, Zawya reports.

Goods sent to Uganda from Mombasa port are currently transported by road from Naivasha, where the SGR line from Mombasa ends.

Uganda last year in June inked a $40.5 million deal with a Chinese firm to revamp its century-old meter gauge railway line between Malaba and Kampala to create seamless travel from the Mombasa port.