After years of delay and shifting deadlines, Uganda says it will finally begin building its Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) in April 2026, starting with the 272-kilometer (169-mile) line from the eastern border town of Malaba to the capital, Kampala.
The $2.9 billion project — about 11.18 trillion Ugandan shillings — will be carried out by Turkish construction firm Yapi Merkezi. Officials say the work is expected to take four years.
“After over a decade of anticipation, the Standard Gauge Railway Project is finally taking shape,” said Canon Eng. Perez Wamburu, the government’s project coordinator. “Over the past year, we have shifted decisively from planning to execution.”
The government signed a turnkey contract with Yapi Merkezi in October 2024. Wamburu said the company is already on site, handling preliminary tasks such as surveys, design, and setting up logistics camps.
A long-term vision
Uganda’s railway blueprint spans more than 1,700 kilometers (1,056 miles), designed to connect the country to neighbors and ports. The four planned corridors include Malaba–Kampala, Tororo–Gulu–South Sudan, Kampala–Kasese–Mpondwe, and a spur to Rwanda through Kabale.
Officials argue the project could transform trade and industry in a country that has long struggled with some of the region’s highest transport costs.
“It costs up to $3,500 to move a container by road from Mombasa, Kenya, to Kampala,” said Gen. Katumba Wamala, Uganda’s minister of works and transport. “Using the SGR, the same journey will cost about $2,000.”
Beyond cheaper freight, Katumba listed other expected benefits: reduced road accidents, lower spending on road repairs, and a boost to sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, and tourism.
Building skills at home
Wamburu said the government is also creating a Railway Training Institute to develop local expertise. Uganda has fewer than 100 railway engineers, but the project will eventually need thousands.
“In this project, local content is not a slogan; it is a work program with clauses, milestones, and measurements,” he said. The contract, he added, requires that up to 40 percent of the project value go to Ugandan suppliers and workers.
Katumba emphasized that materials like cement, steel, and aggregates would be sourced locally whenever they meet international standards.
A push from the presidency
Permanent Secretary Bageya Waiswa, who spoke on behalf of Uganda’s chief engineer, called the SGR “a strategic backbone for Uganda’s economic transformation.”
Katumba credited President Yoweri Museveni for breaking a long deadlock over financing. “This momentum reflects the decisive leadership of H.E. the President, who resolved the financing pathway and directed that we advance implementation without further hesitation,” he said.
But he also issued a warning. “Let me be clear; transparency and integrity are non-negotiable,” Katumba told reporters. “Corruption, rent-seeking, and favoritism have no place in this project.”
When complete, the SGR is expected to move 30 million tonnes of cargo annually and position Uganda as a trade hub for East and Central Africa.
“This is not just about steel, sleepers, and locomotives,” Katumba said. “It is about people. It is about jobs for our youth, opportunities for our businesses, skills for our engineers, and a stronger future for our nation.”
