The maiden trip by President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga to Kisumu, using the revamped Naivasha-Kisumu railway tomorrow, May 30th has been cancelled. This publication can reveal. According to reports, engineering problems which cannot be solved before Sunday have had the activity rescheduled for another day.
“There’s a problem getting spare parts of the train the leaders were to travel in. We have now decided to cancel the planned trip. However, the launch would be done later by the President,” one source told a local media.
Renovation of the century-old Naivasha-Kisumu-Malaba meter-gauge railway began in 2020, after the truce between President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga in 2018. In July last year, the government allocated Sh3.5 billion to the project.
Instead of the trip, President Uhuru and Raila Odinga will fly to the lakeside city on Sunday to kick-start a three-day tour of the region.
The Head of State is expected to commission the Kisumu Port, the 30,000 capacity Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium, the Lake Basin Development Authority Mall, a ship at the dry dock, the marine school and the Uhuru Business Park that will accommodate over 10, 000 traders.
