Kenya Railways has announced a suspension of the evacuation of cargo from Mombasa to Nairobi as a result of the heavy rains that are continuing to pound the country.
The ongoing heavy rains, associated with the El Niño phenomenon, have resulted in widespread flooding, displacing numerous people, with an estimated fifty casualties.
Kenya Railways reports that the intense rainfall has caused wash-aways and landslides along various sections of the 300-mile Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) connecting Mombasa to Nairobi.
This weather-related impact has hampered regular train operations, affecting cargo transfers, loading, and unloading activities at the Port of Mombasa.
Notably, a segment of the SGR corridor between Mombasa Terminus and Mariakani has been closed for all freight trains due to a landslide.
The SGR cargo freight service, initiated in 2018, primarily transports containerized cargo to dry ports in Nairobi and Naivasha. The cargo evacuation along this corridor has witnessed a significant increase, rising from 2.9 million tons in 2018 to over 6 million tons last year.
