Fresh questions are emerging over a controversial Sh24.2 billion Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) electrification deal after the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (KETRACO) quietly deleted key webpages detailing the project, which was signed in 2018 under the leadership of then Managing Director Fernandes Barasa.

The deleted webpage had announced the signing of a $240 million (approximately Sh24.2 billion) contract between KETRACO and China Electric Power Equipment and Technology Company Limited, promising to electrify the Mombasa–Nairobi SGR line and have electric trains running by 2021.

It is now 2026, and the SGR continues to operate on diesel-powered locomotives, raising concerns that the ambitious electrification project may have been nothing more than a paper deal.

Screenshots of the now-deleted page, which have been circulating online, show KETRACO once celebrated the agreement as a major milestone in modernising Kenya’s flagship railway project. The disappearance of the page has triggered suspicions of a possible cover-up and renewed scrutiny of decisions made during Barasa’s tenure.

The development comes amid growing accountability pressure on KETRACO, particularly after Auditor General Nancy Gathungu revealed that the agency owes landowners more than Sh4 billion in unpaid compensation linked to various transmission projects.

At the time of signing the SGR electrification deal in January 2018, KETRACO announced plans to construct 14 substations along the 472-kilometre railway corridor, with completion expected within 28 months. Fernandes Barasa publicly championed the project, touting zero carbon emissions, lower operating costs, faster trains, and expanded economic activity along the corridor.

However, doubts about the project’s feasibility surfaced almost immediately. Then Kenya Railways Managing Director Atanas Maina questioned whether Kenya had sufficient power supply and financing capacity to sustain an electric railway. Those concerns were later echoed by then Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia, who told Parliament that the country lacked both the guaranteed electricity supply and the financial muscle to support SGR electrification.

In a little-noticed clarification issued after the signing ceremony, KETRACO admitted that the agreement was only a commercial contract and not a financing deal. The agency stated that the contract would only take effect after the National Treasury secured funding—something that never happened.

“KETRACO has not borrowed any loan for the electrification of the SGR Project,” the agency said at the time, sharply contradicting earlier triumphant messaging suggesting the project was ready for implementation.

Critics are now asking why KETRACO publicly announced a Sh24.2 billion contract without secured financing, and whether the move was misleading by design or a result of gross mismanagement.

The controversy has revived scrutiny of Fernandes Barasa’s tenure at KETRACO, which was marred by several high-profile scandals. Barasa, now the Governor of Kakamega County, previously faced investigations by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission over the Sh18 billion lost in penalties related to the delayed Lake Turkana Wind Power transmission line, as well as unexplained excess payments and irregular transactions.

His resignation from KETRACO in 2022, shortly before appearing before Parliament’s Public Investments Committee, was widely viewed as controversial.

The SGR electrification saga also highlights Kenya’s growing embarrassment when compared to regional peers. Ethiopia completed a 750-kilometre electric railway to Djibouti in 2016, while Morocco operates Africa’s first high-speed electric rail. Tanzania and Uganda are also planning electric SGR systems, raising fears that Kenya’s diesel railway could face interoperability challenges in the future.

Despite repeated requests, KETRACO has not explained why the webpage detailing the SGR electrification deal was deleted, who authorised the action, or whether any funds were ever paid to the Chinese contractor. Calls and emails to the agency’s current management went unanswered by the time of publication.

The silence has only fueled speculation that authorities may be attempting to erase public records of a failed or fictitious mega project.

As Kenyans continue to grapple with rising fuel costs and a struggling SGR that bleeds billions annually, the unanswered questions surrounding the Sh24.2 billion electrification deal remain glaring.

Was the project a genuine plan that collapsed, or a costly illusion sold to the public? And why, eight years later, does KETRACO appear more eager to delete evidence than to provide answers?

For now, the deleted webpage has become a symbol of broken promises, missing accountability, and a growing public demand to know what really happened to Kenya’s Sh24.2 billion.

The post Scam? Questions Mount as KETRACO Deletes Webpage on KSh24.2 Billion Deal Signed Under Fernandes Barasa appeared first on Daily Trends.

Activist Boniface Mwangi has been blasted by Kenyans on Twitter for dragging the names of ODM party leader Raila Odinga and Mombasa Governor Hassan Ali Joho into Mombasa economic crisis.

Mwangi who was speaking during demonstrations organised by Haki Africa Human Rights group on Monday said that Raila and Joho are to blame for the crisis that has come as a result of SGR.

The activist cited that Mombasa residents voted for Raila and Joho heavily in 2017 but the two have remained mum on the crisis that is threatening to kill the economy of the region.

Mombasa residents have been demonstrating to protest against government’s move to let cargo from the coast be transported via SGR line, killing the economy of road transporters.

However, Kenyans have turned against Mwangi, accusing him of being petty. They argue that neither Joho nor Raila operate the SGR, nor are they in the national government.

They argue that Mwangi should blame the national government and leave Raila and Joho out of he discussions.

Here are some of the reactions.

The post Boniface Mwangi blasted for dragging Raila, Joho’s names into Mombasa economic crisis appeared first on Daily Trends.

A week after the Mai Mahiu SGR station was opened by President Uhuru Kenyatta it has remained closed and inaccessible much to the chagrin of travelers and local residents.

The situation has been worsened by ongoing rains and dilapidated road that connects the station to the nearby Mai Mahiu-Narok Road.

Residents have now called on the government to either pave or upgrade the access road to murram standard.

Addressing the press at the Mai Mahiu SGR station, Benson Mungai, a local leader, said passengers willing to travel to Nairobi from the station are being referred to Suswa station, which is 30km from Mai Mahiu town.

“We saw the train here on Saturday and Sunday, and it only dropped passengers while those wishing to board it are told to travel all the way to Suswa in Narok County,” Mungai said.

His sentiments were echoed by a local elder, Peter Ngigi, who said he parted with Sh600 to pay a boda boda rider to ferry him and his wife to the Mai Mahi SGR station.

At the SGR station, the elder said they were told there were no tickets and then referred to the Suswa station.

 “The President disputed reports that this railway was heading to nowhere and said it would assist residents access the capital city with ease but we don’t know what is the meaning of closing this station,” Ngigi said.

Another local resident, Freshia Njoki, called on the government to power the villages near the SGR station using the railway’s transformer.

“The station has a transformer that can be used to power four villages, and as the host community we ought to benefit from government projects near us,” she said.

But during Mashujaa Day celebrations, Nakuru County Commissioner Erastus Mbui promised that the road linking the Mai Mahiu SGR termins would be upgraded.

“Plans are underway to construct a road from the Mai Mahiu-Narok Road to the newly-opened SGR station in Mai Mahiu,” he said.

The post Uhuru’s ‘railway to nowhere’ remains closed days after launch as residents cry for help appeared first on Daily Trends.

Senior Counsel Ahmednsir Abdullahi has said that the ruling Jubilee party killed Mombasa’s economy because they hated governor Hassan Ali Joho.

His statement follows the demonstrations that were staged in Mombasa on Monday following what the residents argued that Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) has spelled doom on the region’s economy.

With the coming of SGR, all cargo is supposed to be transported by the railway line, denying job opportunities to road transporters.

Ahmednasir now claims that since Jubilee is now in love with governor Joho due to the handshake between Prrsident Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition chief Raila Odinga, a marshal plan should be done to revive Mombasa’s economy.

The senior counsel further says that the plan should be named Sultan Joho plan.

“JUBILEE KILLED Mombasa because once upon a time they hated/didn’t like Sultan @HassanAliJoho. Now that JUBILEE is MADLY in LOVE with Sultan Joho, please do a Marshall plan to revive Mombasa….call it SULTAN JOHO Plan,” he posted.

The demonstration, which started at Makupa round about to Changamwe round about in Mombasa west, caused a jam between the Island and Mombasa mainland.

The demonstrators carrying placards castigating Kenya Ports Authority, Kenya Revenue Authority officials and a minister walked over 10 kilometres as they sang songs against the government.

As the demonstration continued, the truck drivers hooted as a sign of solidarity while road construction workers also abandoned their works to cheer demonstrators.

Watch the video below.

The post Jubilee Killed Mombasa Because They Hated Joho- Lawyer Ahmednasir appeared first on Daily Trends.