AfDB says to inject sh1.1 trillion into Kampala-Malaba MGR upgrade

Dec 03, 2022

The railway line set to be renovated links Kampala city to Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa and is part of the East African Community’s Northern Corridor.

A picture of the Train along Kampala. (Photo by Wilfred Sanya)

Rhyman Agaba
Journalist @New Vision

The Kampala-Malaba Metre Gauge Railway in Uganda is set to be overhauled thanks to a $301m (about sh1.1 trillion) funding by the African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

The railway line set to be renovated links Kampala city to Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa and is part of the East African Community’s Northern Corridor.

This regional East African Community Railway Rehabilitation Support Project will facilitate rail services and significantly reduce costs of transportation in a region that is endowed with agricultural land, minerals as well as manufacturing and petroleum production.

The funds from ADB were approved on Wednesday this week by the Group’s Board of Directors. They consist of loans and grants from the Africa Development Bank and its concessional lending window, the African Development Fund.

People doing business along Kampala - Tororo line that is  going to be rehabilitated  using the African Development Bank Group funding at Banda. (Photo by Wilfred Sanya)

People doing business along Kampala - Tororo line that is going to be rehabilitated using the African Development Bank Group funding at Banda. (Photo by Wilfred Sanya)

The renovation works include the immediate rehabilitation of 265 kilometres of MGR tracks between Malaba and Mukono, including the line to Jinja Pier and Port Bell on Lake Victoria.

The railway project will incorporate skills development in the form of training for the railway workforce.

It will also tap into nature-based solutions, such as tree planting, to enhance the climate resilience of the railway tracks.

"Railway lines are critical to opening up the heartland of Africa, where there is immense agricultural and economic potential," said AfDB president Akinwumi Adesina.

 He said the rail tracks would also be instrumental in linking rural-based Special Agricultural Processing Zones, which the African Development Bank is promoting, to markets and other vital logistics hubs.

“Railway lines should not simply connect ports to mines,” said Adesina.

 Adesina also pointed out that it is encouraging to see African governments investing in rail transport.

Some people  prefer walking along the  Kampala - Tororo railwayline since it is no longer busy with traffic. (Photo by Wilfred Sanya)

Some people prefer walking along the Kampala - Tororo railwayline since it is no longer busy with traffic. (Photo by Wilfred Sanya)

The upgrade of the railway project was endorsed by Uganda’s Parliament and cabinet ministers.

The Kampala-Malaba MGR is part of the multi-modal Northern Corridor route, which includes road transport from Mombasa to landlocked Uganda and neighboring countries, including Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and Eastern DR Congo.

The northern corridor also has maritime links with Lake Victoria’s inland waterways.

Railway transport is widely perceived as a safer and more affordable mode of transport than road, but currently, more than 90% of the traffic along the northern corridor is carried by road, with a mere 7% moving by rail because of poor infrastructure. 

Subsequently, transport costs along the corridor are relatively high.

After it's completion, the project is expected to directly benefit nearly 1.2 million people, about 40% of them women. 

The upgrade of the MGR project is aligned with Uganda’s Vision 2040 National strategy as well as the East African Community’s Vision 2050, which aims to deepen trade and transform East Africa into a globally competitive upper-middle-income region.

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