The project is a regional standard-gauge railway programme connecting Mombasa Port with Nairobi, Malaba, Kampala and Kigali, together with a branch from Malaba through Nimule to Juba. The approved PIDA PAP II scope covers Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan, while Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo are beneficiary countries. Its purpose is to increase rail capacity along the Northern Corridor, reduce reliance on road freight and improve access from landlocked East African markets to Mombasa Port.
The original PIDA PAP II cost estimate is USD 19.2 billion and the submitted milestone was S3A - Project Structuring. Development is uneven by country and segment. Kenya has operational standard-gauge sections between Mombasa, Nairobi and Naivasha, while the regional extensions remain incomplete. Uganda signed an engineering, procurement and construction arrangement for the Malaba-Kampala section and has continued right-of-way acquisition and pre-construction preparation, but official budget reporting does not yet establish the completion of the planned regional network.
The Northern Corridor Standard Gauge Railway is intended to create an interoperable regional railway from the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa to Uganda and Rwanda, with an additional link to South Sudan. The approved route begins with the approximately 480 km Mombasa-Nairobi section, continues approximately 120 km to Naivasha and then extends westward through Kenya to Malaba. In Uganda, the principal eastern section links Malaba with Kampala, with further planned connections towards Rwanda and a northern branch through Gulu and Nimule to Juba.
The railway is designed for high-speed passenger operations of up to 160 km/h and high-capacity freight services. Its strategic function is to complement the heavily used Northern Corridor road network, reduce transport costs and transit times, improve port-hinterland connectivity and support regional trade and industrial development.
The programme must be reported as a regional umbrella rather than as a single homogeneous construction contract. Kenya has completed and operates the Mombasa-Nairobi and Nairobi-Naivasha sections. Uganda has undertaken design, land acquisition, stakeholder engagement and contractor procurement for the Malaba-Kampala section. Rwanda and South Sudan remain dependent on completion and sequencing of the upstream sections and on regional financing and implementation agreements.
Uganda's official transport reporting records engagement of Yapi Merkezi for the eastern route and subsequent pre-construction and right-of-way work. Official FY2025/26 and FY2026/27 budget documents contain construction targets for the Malaba-Kampala section, but targets are not the same as verified completed works. The project is therefore coded at S4A for the latest period because an implementation contract and preparatory activities exist, while full physical construction of the regional programme and regional commissioning have not been demonstrated.
The USD 19.2 billion value remains the approved PAP II regional baseline. Segment costs, national budget allocations and financing arrangements should not be substituted for that full-scope estimate unless an approved consolidated regional cost update becomes available.
The project aims to develop a continuous standard-gauge railway connecting Mombasa Port with the principal markets and logistics centres of Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan. It is intended to increase freight capacity, reduce transport costs and journey times, improve reliability and provide an efficient alternative to road transport along the Northern Corridor.
The programme also seeks to strengthen regional integration and trade, improve access to maritime services for landlocked countries, support industrial and agricultural value chains and reduce pressure on the corridor's road infrastructure. Harmonised technical and operating standards are expected to enable efficient cross-border passenger and freight services.