By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
KAMPALA
The Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) has called on government and the Uganda Railway Corporation to fast-track the revival of the country’s one-metre gauge railway network, arguing that it remains critical to boosting domestic trade and lowering transport costs.
The call comes days after a meeting between Kenyan President William Ruto and President Yoweri Museveni in Kisumu, where the two leaders commissioned the extension of the SGR from Kisumu to Malaba at the Uganda-Kenya border.
UPC spokesperson Sharon Oyat Arach says while the party supports the development of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), priority should also be given to rehabilitating the existing metre gauge lines across the country.
“We equally call upon the government and the Uganda Railway Corporation to expedite the revival of the one-metre gauge railway, which used to cover routes such as Kampala–Kasese, Kampala–Tororo, Soroti, Lira, Gulu and Pakwach, with potential for expansion,” Oyat said.
She cautioned against focusing solely on the SGR while the older network remains non-functional.
“You cannot tell me you’re going for a standard gauge railway when you’ve failed to revive the one metre railway across the country,” she added.
According to Oyat, reviving the metre gauge system would ease the high cost of transporting goods, especially agricultural produce, from upcountry districts to Kampala. She said Ugandans are paying huge sums of money to transport foodstuffs by trucks, emphasizing the need to prioritise internal connectivity to support local farmers and businesses, saying improved rail transport would enhance productivity and stimulate economic growth.
“Let us gauge our priorities. Much as we want the SGR, we must first strengthen internal movement to boost our local economy,” Oyat said.
Additionally, the UPC party appealed to government to expedite construction of Uganda’s section of the SGR, noting that the country has an obligation to complete its part of the regional infrastructure.
Speaking at the commissioning of the extension of the SGR from Kisumu to Malaba at the Uganda-Kenya border over the weekend, Kenyan President, William Samoi Ruto said the 107-kilometre stretch will connect key agricultural hubs and serve the wider region, including Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic.
“It’s in moments like these that our nations are shaped,” Ruto said, noting that efficient railway systems have historically driven economic growth and urban development.
He highlighted high logistics costs as a major impediment to regional competitiveness, citing delays in cargo transportation.
“Cargo takes about 100 hours to reach Kampala. We cannot build prosperity like this,” Ruto said.
President Museveni on the otherhand, reaffirmed Uganda’s commitment to extending the railway network from Malaba to Kampala and onward to Kasese and Mpondwe, linking to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“We are also working on the railway from Tororo to Gulu, then Nimule to Juba, as well as the line from Bihanga to Kigali,” Museveni said.
The SGR, constructed between 2013 and 2019, currently runs from Mombasa to Nairobi and Naivasha. However, its planned extension to Uganda had stalled after China declined to provide additional financing.
UPC welcomed the extension, saying improved rail systems would enhance regional integration, especially within the East African Community and other blocs such as the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). However, they party insists that reviving Uganda’s metre gauge railway remains essential for immediate economic relief and sustainable national development.
