KENYA: Kenya Railways Slashes Tariffs on Uganda-Bound Cargo

The Kenya Railways Corporation has reduced cargo tariffs by more than 50% on goods transported from Mombasa to Malaba, a terminus bordering Uganda. Tariffs for one 50-foot container have been lowered from KES135,600 (US$1,200) to KES90,400 (US$800) following negotiations between the Kenyan and Ugandan governments. 

The price cuts came as Kenya Railways launched a two-month trial to transport goods from Mombasa to Malaba, expected to reduce the transit time from four days to 28 hours. The trialled service will deliver cargo from the Port of Mombasa to the Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Naivasha via the standard gauge railway (SGR), then transfer to the meter-gauge railway (MGR) for onward transportation to Malaba. Cargo transfer from the SGR train to the MGR takes at least 30 minutes, but domestic clients will be given up to 30 days of free storage at the Naivasha ICD plus faster cargo processing and transhipment onto wagons.