Afristar, the operator of Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), has rolled out a six-month technical training program aimed at equipping local staff with advanced railway management and maintenance skills.
The program, launched in Nairobi this week, is being conducted in partnership with professors from China’s Guangzhou Railway Polytechnic. It combines classroom theory with hands-on fieldwork along the SGR line, covering locomotive handling, modern track maintenance, and advanced signalling diagnostics.
Afristar says the initiative is part of its ongoing skills-transfer agenda designed to prepare Kenyans to take over greater responsibility for SGR operations.
More than 3,500 Kenyan staff have already benefited from previous training sessions in China at institutions including Southwest Jiaotong University and Baoji Railway Technician College.
“The goal is to ensure Kenyan engineers, technicians, and operators have world-class expertise to run the railway safely, efficiently, and sustainably,” Afristar officials said at the launch.
The training is expected to strengthen the country’s capacity in fault-finding, emergency response, and preventive maintenance areas that are critical to reducing downtime and improving service reliability.
It also supports the planned gradual handover of SGR operations from Afristar to the Kenya Railways Corporation.
Since its launch in 2017, the SGR has become a major transport corridor linking Mombasa to Nairobi, with extensions toward Naivasha and plans for further expansion.
The government views capacity-building efforts like this as crucial for maximizing returns on the multibillion-shilling infrastructure investment.
By Michelle Ndaga
