Kenya Railways and the National Land Commission (NLC) have carried out joint inspections of the sites in Kisumu County that will host the city's Standard Gauge Railway passenger terminus and freight yard, a key step before landowners can be compensated and construction can begin.

The teams visited Kibos, which has been set aside for the Kisumu Passenger Terminus, and Chiga, where a freight marshalling yard will handle cargo sorting, train assembly and freight logistics, the Kenya News Agency reported. Officials compared architectural concept plans and site layouts with conditions on the ground along the proposed corridor.

Valuation and compensation

Daniel Muriungi, who chairs the National Land Valuation Committee, said the facilities would improve connectivity, ease the movement of people and goods, open up markets and support industrial growth in the region.

He said the inspections are part of the land acquisition, statutory surveying and compensation processes that must be completed before major works start. The NLC will lead land valuation, boundary checks and the identification of households affected along the route.

Officials acknowledge that securing access to the sites and resolving ownership and tenure claims must still be done before clear land can be handed to the engineering, procurement and construction contractors.

After the contractor pegged out the land, Kenya Railways surveyors began pre-acquisition surveys to establish exactly how much land is needed. Their findings will go to the NLC to guide compulsory acquisition.

Ahero station and Boya crossing

The delegation also visited the site of a proposed intermediate passenger station at Ahero and a planned road-over-rail crossing at Boya on the Kericho-Ahero B1 road. The Ahero station is meant to serve communities along the line, while a passing and crossing station will help manage train traffic.

The bigger picture

Phase 2B of the SGR covers about 264 kilometres from Naivasha to Kisumu, passing through Nakuru, Narok, Bomet, Kericho and Kisumu counties. A later Phase 2C would extend the line from Kisumu to Malaba on the Uganda border.

Plans also include an 8.7-kilometre spur linking the railway to Kisumu Port on Lake Victoria, which officials say would allow cargo to move between rail and lake transport.

Affected parcels in Kibos were listed in a gazette notice in April, and Kenya Railways has since held sensitisation meetings with landowners in Kisumu East and carried out ground verification with the NLC.

Photos: Kenya News Agency; Erasmus Kamugisha via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.