(NAIROBI, KENYA) – Passenger and freight traffic on Kenya’s standard gauge railway rose in the first half of 2026, lifting combined revenue from the line’s operations to KES 11.6 billion ($89.63 million / GBP 67.56 million).
Passenger revenue grew 14.6% to KES 2.37 billion ($18.31 million / GBP 13.80 million) in the six months to June, from KES 2.07 billion ($15.99 million / GBP 12.05 million) a year earlier, Kenya National Bureau of Statistics data shows.
The rise followed a 10.3% increase in passenger numbers to 1.31 million from 1.19 million in the same period.
Freight volumes grew faster than cargo earnings, with cargo revenue up 4% to KES 9.19 billion ($71.00 million / GBP 53.52 million) from KES 8.83 billion ($68.22 million / GBP 51.43 million) a year earlier.
Freight volumes rose 15.1% to 4.10 million tonnes from 3.56 million tonnes in the first half of 2025.
Combined passenger and cargo revenue increased by about 6% to KES 11.56 billion ($89.32 million / GBP 67.33 million) in the six months to June, from KES 10.9 billion ($84.22 million / GBP 63.49 million) in the first half of 2025.
Monthly figures show passenger demand held relatively firm through the period.
April recorded 278,925 passengers, the highest for a single month in the period, generating KES 492.6 million ($3.81 million / GBP 2.87 million) in revenue.
April’s numbers were lifted by the school holiday period, which usually increases domestic travel as families and students move between towns and cities. June followed with 227,039 travellers and January with 215,733, generating KES 409.7 million ($3.17 million / GBP 2.39 million) and KES 388.7 million ($3.00 million / GBP 2.26 million) respectively.
Total freight volumes rose to 4.1 million tonnes in the first half of 2026 from 3.56 million tonnes a year earlier, with June posting the highest monthly volume at 719,589 tonnes.
The increase was supported by stronger cargo flows in the period, particularly in June, when volumes were 23.7% higher than a year earlier.
Revenue, however, did not move in step with volumes. April cargo volumes rose to 654,079 tonnes from 575,883 tonnes, but revenue fell to KES 1.33 billion ($10.28 million / GBP 7.75 million) from KES 1.84 billion ($14.22 million / GBP 10.72 million).
This shows that changes in the mix of cargo, rates or the routes used affected earnings even as overall freight traffic increased. February posted strong freight revenue of KES 1.90 billion ($14.68 million / GBP 11.07 million) on 681,209 tonnes, compared with KES 1.22 billion ($9.43 million / GBP 7.11 million) on 549,818 tonnes in February 2025.