President Museveni Launches Construction Works For The Malaba – Kampala Eastern Route Sgr Route

“This is a big transformation”- Museveni
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has launched the construction of the Malaba – Kampala Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) in Uganda.
In a colourful ceremony held on November 21, 2024 at the border town of Tororo which is also the starting point of the SGR on the Ugandan side, Museveni reiterated Government’s commitment to the long vision of transforming the country’s economic fortunes by developing world class infrastructure.
This infrastructure he emphasized will lower the cost of doing business thereby attracting quality investments.
“Our transport system is irrational. We are going to rationalize it. Everyone is on the road. Secondly the cost and the wastage. Roads are getting damaged because of
“(When we build the SGR), cargo will remain on the railway and on the water. For petroleum we will make pipelines,”
“Now that the economy is growing, it is high time to remove these irrationalities,” the president explained.
He noted that transporting a 20-foot container from Mombasa to Kampala costs about USD 3,200 currently but with the SGR, it will cost about USD 1,600- almost 50% cheaper.
“This is a big transformation, we will lower the cost of doing business. Once we have cheap transport, cheap electricity, we still have cheap labour,” noted the President.
The SGR will strengthen Uganda’s push to become a regional hub for trade, commerce, and industrialization because of improved transport efficiencies and better connectivity.
“We are here to further our actions towards a transformative journey that will reshape Uganda’s and the region’s future,” said the Museveni.
The SGR was conceived over 10 years ago to foster regional integration by connecting the cities to the coast. A regional SGR Protocol was signed in 2014 to this effect under the auspices of the Northern Corridor Integration Projects (NCIP).
It was decided that each nation would develop their individual sections of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) network to facilitate connections with the neighbouring countries. To date, Kenya and Tanzania have made significant progress in the development of their respective SGR segments.
During the launch ceremony, the Minister of Works and Transport Gen. Katumba Wamala noted that in order for the region to fully benefit from the SGR, it is essential to expedite the construction of the Naivasha-Kisumu-Malaba and Malaba-Kampala SGR segments. Katumba said the timelines for these projects have been agreed upon with our esteemed neighbor, the Republic of Kenya.
“The SGR will not only advance the agenda of regional integration but will also lower transportation costs, leading to a reduction in the overall cost of doing business. Consequently, this will enhance the region's competitiveness in the business landscape, thereby attracting investment,” said Katumba.
“During the signing ceremony, I tasked the Contractor, Yapi Merkezi, the responsibility of constructing the SGR to the utmost standards, within both the time and budget. Additionally, I urged Yapi to comply with the environmental and social obligations throughout the execution of the contract,” noted Katumba.
Katumba emphasized the need for local content, as explicitly outlined in the Contract urging local enterprises to participate and ensure that the people of Uganda reap the benefits from this project.
The SGR Project Coordinator Can. Eng Perez Wamburu said once completed cargo will move from Mombasa to Kampala in a single day compared to the current between 5-12 days.
Over the last decade, the need for cargo and passenger transportation has surpassed the capabilities of road infrastructure. The SGR will serve as the backbone of our surface transportation system, alleviating a significant portion of the pressure on the Meter Gauge Railway (MGR) and roadways.
The railway infrastructure has experienced significant deterioration over the years.
The planned SGR network in Uganda is approximately 1,700Km and is being developed in a phased manner starting with the Malaba – Kampala (272KM). Other routes include, the Western route to inter connect with Rwanda and DR Congo and the Northern Route to connect with South Sudan and DR Congo.
Uganda started engaging Yapi Merkezi, a Turkish company in 2022. Yapi Merkezi which had showcased its capacity in Tanzania and elsewhere on developing of the SGR Project signed an EPC/Turnkey contract with Government of Uganda for the construction of Malaba – Kampala SGR project on the 14th of October, 2024.
The SGR is expected to transport 25 million tonnes of cargo annually.
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