Kenya resumes cargo rail services to Mombasa port
Tuesday November 21 2023
Containers at the port of Mombasa, Kenya. PHOTO | COURTESY
Kenya has resumed cargo rail services to and from the port city of Mombasa following an interruption due to heavy rains and landslides along the coastal region, the state-owned operator announced Monday.
The Horn of Africa region has experienced intense rainfall and flash flooding linked to the El Nino weather phenomenon in recent weeks that has claimed dozens of lives, including at least 46 in Kenya.
Kenya Railways said on Saturday that a landslide along the freight rail line had forced the closure of a section of track, leading to delays in the evacuation of cargo from Mombasa and Nairobi as well as in the delivery of cargo to Mombasa's port.
Read: Hundreds displaced as rains pound Kenya coast
On Monday, the company posted a statement on X saying that "movement of cargo trains to and from Mombasa has now resumed".
"Loading and offloading of cargo at the Port of Mombasa has also commenced," it added.
"We are now working round the clock to minimise delays."
Mombasa, the country's second-largest city, and its railway cargo line serve not just Kenya but also landlocked neighbours in the region, including Uganda, South Sudan and Rwanda.
Save the Children on Thursday said more than 100 people, including 16 children, had died and over 700,000 been forced out of their homes in the Horn of Africa due to flash flooding.