Nyong’o rallies residents ahead of Ruto’s Kisumu tour

Kisumu Governor Anyang' Nyong'o has called on residents to turn up in large numbers to welcome President William Ruto during his upcoming tour of Kisumu County.

The governor said the county is ready to host the President and other dignitaries on March 21, 2026, for the launch of Phase 2B and 2C of the Standard Gauge Railway.

The event will take place in Kibos, where the new railway phase extending from Narok through Kisumu to Malaba is expected to be officially unveiled.

Nyong’o described the project as a major milestone in infrastructure development, noting that it will enhance connectivity, boost trade and spur regional integration.

“I warmly invite all wananchi to turn up in large numbers to witness this historic occasion and give a warm welcome to our honoured guests,” he said.

The governor also used the opportunity to extend goodwill wishes to the Muslim community as they mark the end of Ramadan.

The President said that the extension of the Standard Gauge railway (SGR) to Kisumu and Malaba is meant to position Kenya as a regional transport hub.

He said the project is about the future of trade in the Great Lakes region.

Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo depend on efficient access to the sea.

When complete, he said it will establish a continuous railway artery of nearly 1,000km from Mombasa to Malaba, a corridor that will not only move goods but also secure Kenya’s place at the centre of Africa’s continental trade

“By extending this railway to Kisumu and ultimately to Malaba, we are consolidating Kenya’s role as the logistical backbone of East and Central Africa,” the President said in Narok during the launch of the Naivasha-Kisumu section of the SGR.

The head of state said the event was not only meant to break ground for the construction of a railway, but also to complete a national vision; a vision to connect Kenya more efficiently, to lower the cost of doing business and to firmly position the country at the centre of trade in the Great Lakes region and across the African continent.

He described the 262.3km Narok-Kisumu section, Phase 2B of the SGR network, not just an extension, but a strategic economic intervention for the country. 

This corridor holds immense economic potential, Ruto said, adding that western Kenya produces tea, maize, sugar and rice, supports a vibrant fisheries sector in the Lake Victoria region, and supplies critical inputs for agro-processing and industry.

Ruto said a railway that terminates at Narok is, by definition, incomplete because it does not reach the major production zones of Western Kenya; it does not connect with the lake transport ecosystem in Kisumu; and it does not capture the full volume of outbound freight that sustains a modern rail economy.