Landowners along the Narok-Bomet-Kisumu stretch of the standard gauge railway will share KSh 25 billion in compensation, Kenya Railways Corporation Managing Director Philip Mainga has said, with the National Land Commission now moving through public participation before payments are made.

Mainga said the commission has already given Kenya Railways early access to parts of the land so construction can proceed, while valuation and negotiations with the affected owners continue.

The stretch, known as phase 2B of the Naivasha-Kisumu-Malaba line, covers roughly 98 kilometres inside Narok County. The wider corridor passes through Bomet, Nyamira, Kericho, Homa Bay and Kisumu counties.

Owners in the affected areas have signalled they will take part in the public participation and work with the government through the negotiations. Mzee Stephen Ruto of Kapkesosio village, speaking at one of the sessions, said the community welcomes the project.

“It will connect Bomet County to the rest of the country, the East African region and beyond.”

President William Ruto launched construction on 19 March 2026. The work is expected to run for about two years, with activity in Narok among the earliest to start. The station there is expected to be partially complete by June next year.

Mainga described the line as the backbone of an SGR Economic Belt, with logistics hubs and value-addition facilities planned alongside the tracks. Narok’s stated focus is agriculture, livestock and tourism. Bomet and Kericho are to host hubs centred on tea, while Kisumu is expected to get one for fish, covering storage and movement to other markets.

Tea, coffee and sugar produced locally are expected to move on the railway to the Port of Mombasa for export. The government also frames the project under its Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, with expectations of jobs and support for small businesses.

Payment dates, the close of public participation and a firm schedule for the Narok station have not been announced.