Inside plan to split Kenya Railways and rope in private players

Passengers board train at the Kenya Railways Station in Nairobi. [David Gichuru, Standard]

The government plans to open up Kenya’s railway network to different operators and at the same time split Kenya Railways into two entities, one to operate the country’s network of railway lines and a regulator that will oversee what is expected to be an expanded railway sector. 

The Railways Bill 2024 has proposed the unbundling of Kenya Railways, which currently undertakes all the sector’s functions, with the establishment of the Kenya Railways Corporation and the Railway Regulatory Authority.

According to the Bill, the reform process is aimed at making the country’s railway system “open access”, which will mean the railway infrastructure will be available “for use by multiple operators.