What revival of Voi-Taveta railway line means for local, regional trade

Some transport infrastructure merely moves goods.

Others reshape geography, revive forgotten corridors, and redefine a nation’s role in regional trade. 

The revitalisation of the Voi–Taveta metre-gauge branch line firmly belongs in the latter category.

Long abandoned and often overlooked in national transport discourse, this 130-kilometre metre-gauge railway is now emerging as one of the most strategic missing links in Kenya’s transport architecture.

It speaks directly to the ambitions of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the broader integration of the Northern and Central Corridors.

Veteran hotelier cum historical-battlefield-tourism expert Willie Mwadillo is upbeat that the revival of the Voi-Taveta railway will be a game-changer for communities in and around Taita Taveta and beyond Kenyan borders.

“There are spots along the railway stretch in Bura that are associated with the infamous First World War, which should not be erased due to construction work that would alter history associated with the war that reshaped world history,” Mwadillo, who once served as general manager of both Taita Hills and Salt Lick Lodges, said.

He points out that the Mile 27 site, along the picturesque rail line around the Bura area, was the site of a major 1915 battle.

“This battle saw some 20 British soldiers lose their lives during an aggressive German ambush that failed to destroy a critical railway bridge, which was used to ensure troop movements and supplies from the Port of Mombasa.

Coy skirmishes involved sections of the 25th Battalion, Loyal North Lancashire Regiment, and a group of German saboteurs, where they engaged in very close combat – hand-to-hand – resulting in fatalities on both sides,” Mwadilo said.

A Taita Taveta resident and former Seafarers Union of Kenya (SUK) Secretary General, Andrew Mwangura, who grew up using the rail transport from Voi to his home around Mwaktau, said that there lies a rich history on the rail track that ought not to be left to die.

Built between 1914 and 1918, the Voi–Taveta metre-gauge branch line linked the inland rail network at Voi to Taveta on the Kenya–Tanzania border. 

Voi was born as a railway town—a key junction on the old Kenya–Uganda Railway (also metre gauge) and a natural gateway between the coast and the hinterland.

“Taveta, meanwhile, sits at a critical border crossing, serving as a vibrant hub of cross-border trade and human movement,” Mwangura stated.

For decades, Mwangura observed that the rail link fell into disrepair and eventual abandonment, overtaken by road transport and policy inertia. 

“Its dormancy mirrored a broader neglect of metre-gauge infrastructure across East Africa, even as trade volumes swelled and regional integration deepened. Today, its revival is no nostalgic exercise—it is an economic imperative,” he said.

At the heart of this imperative lies AfCFTA, Africa’s most ambitious trade framework, which depends on seamless cross-border movement, fewer non-tariff barriers and efficient logistics chains that can compete globally. 

Mwangura further observed that railways are central to that vision, as they offer cost-effective, high-volume transport that road networks cannot match over long distances.

Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) said once rehabilitated, the Voi–Taveta metre-gauge branch line will reconnect Kenya directly to northern Tanzania by rail, extending to Moshi in Tanzania and beyond. 

This is not merely a bilateral link; it is a continental bridge.

Critically, it enables the establishment of a dry port in Voi town—a multimodal logistics hub that will link the Port of Mombasa directly to the Central Corridor, serving Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda.

“A tour operator involved in wildlife safaris in the expansive Tsavo East and West National Parks,” Edgar Gabriel said.

The rail redevelopment will also include a dry port in Voi that will transform Voi from a railway junction into a strategic multimodal gateway, allowing cargo to clear customs and transfer seamlessly between the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), the revived metre-gauge line, and road networks. 

According to sources, this will reduce congestion at Mombasa and cut transit times to the hinterland. Here, the strategic genius of the project becomes clear. 

“The Northern Corridor has long been Kenya’s economic lifeline, anchoring Mombasa as the gateway to East and Central Africa. But over-reliance on a single corridor breeds inefficiency, congestion, and vulnerability. Diversifying trade routes is not a luxury, it is a necessity,’’ Mwangura said.

He said the Voi–Taveta metre-gauge line delivers exactly that diversification. 

“By creating a southern outlet into Tanzania, it effectively links the Northern Corridor with the Central Corridor – running through Dar es Salaam into the heart of the continent,” he said.

“With the proposed dry port now located at Voi, cargo originating from Mombasa can be railed directly to Voi, cleared there, and then transported via the rehabilitated metre-gauge line to Taveta and across the border into Tanzanian rail (extending from Moshi) and road networks to Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda—offering a competitive alternative to the traditional Northern Corridor through Nairobi,” he said.

He explained that rather than treating these corridors as rivals, the railway enables a complementary system where cargo can be routed dynamically based on cost, destination, and congestion.

“This inter-corridor connectivity is the missing piece in East Africa’s logistics puzzle. It transforms a collection of parallel trade routes into an integrated network. For landlocked countries such as Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda, that means greater choice and potentially lower transport costs. For Kenya, it means retaining and expanding its share of transit cargo—a share that has shown signs of decline in recent years,’’ added Mwangura.

Equally important is the railway’s integration with existing infrastructure. Voi is already a critical node on the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), which connects Mombasa to Nairobi.

Now that the dry port is in Voi, this town is the main place where goods are moved between the standard-gauge and metre-gauge systems.

This hybrid model—leveraging both new and legacy infrastructure—represents a pragmatic, cost-effective approach to railway development.

Beyond freight, the implications for local economies are profound.

Taita Taveta County, often overshadowed by coastal and urban centres, stands to become a logistics and industrial hub – with Voi as its anchor.

The dry port and associated cargo handling facilities at Voi will bring port services closer to producers and traders, reducing the distance and cost of doing business.