Uganda Advances Standard Gauge Railway Project in High-Level Meeting with Turkish Contractor
Kampala, Uganda – In a significant step towards realizing a long-awaited national infrastructure project, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces and Senior Presidential Advisor on Special Operations, convened a high-level meeting with executives from the Turkish construction firm Yapı Merkezi.
The meeting, held at the Special Forces Command (SFC) Headquarters, focused on reviewing plans for the first phase of Uganda’s Standard Gauge Railway (SGR). Yapı Merkezi was selected to construct the critical 325-kilometer line connecting Malaba at the Kenyan border to the capital, Kampala.
The Turkish delegation was led by Board Member Mr. Sami Özge Arıoğlu and included General Manager Mr. Mustafa Şahin Kopuz, Project Coordinator Mr. Fevzi Mert Öz, Local Representative Mr. Albert Ateenyi Rugaju, and Design Engineer Mr. Hacı Hasan Kaygısız.
Discussions centered on project timelines, technical systems, and specific engineering challenges. A key topic was the plan for a 2-kilometer tunnel to be constructed on Mbuya military land. According to project outlines, physical construction is scheduled to commence in 2026, with an expected duration of 48 months.
The SGR project, valued at approximately $3 billion, was officially signed with the consortium of Yapı Merkezi and Portugal’s Mota-Engil in October 2024, following years of delays. President Yoweri Museveni symbolically flagged off the project in November 2024, injecting fresh momentum.
This meeting underscores the strategic priority placed on the SGR by the Ugandan government. The railway is designed to seamlessly connect with Kenya’s existing SGR network, creating a high-speed, efficient transport corridor to the port of Mombasa. The project promises to drastically reduce cargo transport costs and times, boosting regional trade and export competitiveness.
The involvement of General Kainerugaba, a key figure in the administration, signals high-level oversight and a drive for tangible progress. Supporters like Presidential Advisor Barugahara Balaam Ateenyi have expressed strong confidence, stating, “The General is a man of action. This marks a significant step forward, and it is only a matter of time and months before we see Uganda connected to a high-speed railway network.”
The successful implementation of the Malaba-Kampala SGR is seen as a foundational project for Uganda’s economic future, with potential subsequent phases planned to extend the network within the country and further integrate East Africa’s rail infrastructure.
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