Kenya - Butere train service to resume soon

[John Ashworth]

Butere train service to resume soon

The Rift Valley Railways (RVR) will resume train services between Kisumu and Butere next week.

RVR Permanent Way Inspector Mr Ayub Moshi said they had fixed the damaged sections of the feeder rail and it was ready for use, he said.

The firm spent Sh1.3 million in the repairs on a section of the rail extension that was closed after vandals of the post-election violence struck.

Kisumu Station Master, Mr David Mabango said the youth made away with important materials forcing them to suspend business and and later close down due to insecuirty problems.

Businessmen bore the brunt of the suspension of services.

The line that serves passengers from Lela-Yala Kisian and Butere has been a solace to many business people. They have had difficulties in transporting goods from parts of Butere to Kisumu as transport by road is expensive.

Ms Anglea Wafula, a businesswoman who transports vegetables from Butere to Molo says she has to part with more than Sh2,000 for the goods to reach the market. Ms Stella Avigoke, another businesswoman, says road transport is extremely expensive. "I am used to paying Sh300 to Nairobi but by road I spend more than Sh1,000 which to us is very expensive."

The two say transport by road has dug into their profit margins.

RVR conducts three trips a week between Kisumu and Butere and ferries more than 400 passengers in each trip.

The number reduced drastically during and after the December 27 polls.

Mabango said the Kisumu-Nairobi route had also recorded reduced passenger numbers.

By Jane Akinyi
From The Standard (print edition), Thursday 28th February 2008