They criticise me with words; I will answer them with action.
A railway line that went quiet nearly two decades ago is getting a second life. President William Ruto traveled to Voi on Friday to formally launch the reconstruction of the Voi-Mwatate-Taveta metre gauge line, a project the government has priced at Ksh.5.5 billion. The line once served as a working corridor between Kenya and northern Tanzania before declining freight and passenger demand eventually killed it off. Now, the plan is to bring it back — and build something larger around it.
At the heart of the project is geography. The revived line would reconnect a trade route that once ran from Mombasa through Voi and Taveta, then onward through Moshi and Arusha in Tanzania, continuing to Singida and eventually Bujumbura in Burundi. Ruto said restoring that corridor would cut the distance between Mombasa and Bujumbura by 358 kilometers — a meaningful reduction for freight moving between the Kenyan coast and landlocked East African markets.
Voi itself is positioned to become more than a stop along the way. A dry port will be constructed in the town, and the railway is intended to anchor Voi as a logistics hub connecting the Port of Mombasa to the Taveta-Holili One-Stop Border Post on the Kenya-Tanzania boundary. For Taita-Taveta County, the implications extend beyond transit. Ruto pointed to the county's mining sector as one that has been waiting for better infrastructure, and said agricultural imports and exports in the region would benefit from the restored line. Jobs for young people in the county and surrounding areas were also cited as a direct expected outcome.
The railway was not the only announcement Ruto made during his development tour of the county. He launched construction of a Ksh.950 million stadium in Voi — a 10,000-capacity facility — and a Ksh.300 million modern market, which will include cold storage to help reduce post-harvest losses. Both projects represent significant public investment in a county that has historically sat at the margins of large-scale government spending.
On the roads front, the picture is one of work in progress. About 10 kilometers of the 55-kilometer Mto Mwagodi-Dawida-Mbale-Wundanyi-Bura Junction road in Mwatate Constituency have been completed, with the full project expected to wrap up early next year. The Illasit-Rombo-Njukini-Taveta road, a 60-kilometer stretch linking Kajiado and Taita-Taveta counties, is 20 kilometers along. The Cess-Lake Jipe road is under construction, and funds have been secured for an 18-kilometer stretch between Voi and Sagalla.
Ruto used the occasion to draw a sharp contrast with what he described as the opposition's failure to offer a substantive alternative. He dismissed critics as engaged in name-calling and theatrics, and framed his own record as the only answer that matters. "They criticise me with words; I will answer them with action," he told the crowd. He also urged UDA supporters to participate in the party's grassroots elections on April 23, describing the exercise as essential to connecting villages to the national government through a bottom-up structure.
Taita-Taveta Governor Andrew Mwadime, who accompanied the President, called on residents to reject divisive politics and credited the Ruto administration with delivering more impactful projects in the county in a short time than any previous government. Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya echoed that framing, saying the coastal region had benefited substantially from the government's development programs.
The railway reconstruction, if it proceeds on schedule, would mark the most significant infrastructure investment in this particular corridor in a generation. Whether the dry port and the restored trade route deliver the regional economic integration Ruto described will depend on coordination with Tanzania and the pace of construction — both of which remain to be tested.
Notable Quotes
I will deliver on the assignment you gave me. When the time comes, you will examine me, and I am confident I will pass with an A+.— President William Ruto, speaking in Voi
Taita-Taveta County will be transformed under the leadership of President Ruto.— Taita-Taveta Governor Andrew Mwadime
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does a railway that's been dormant for twenty years suddenly matter again?
Because the trade logic that originally built it hasn't gone away. Mombasa is still the dominant port for landlocked East Africa, and Bujumbura is still a long way from the coast by road.
So this is really about regional freight, not just local passengers?
Mostly, yes. The dry port in Voi is the tell — that's infrastructure for consolidating and clearing cargo, not for commuters.
What does 358 fewer kilometers between Mombasa and Bujumbura actually mean in practice?
It means lower fuel costs, faster transit times, and potentially lower prices on goods moving through that corridor. For landlocked countries, every kilometer saved is real money.
Taita-Taveta has mining potential — why hasn't that been unlocked before?
Partly infrastructure, partly investment appetite. Without reliable, affordable freight movement, extracting and exporting minerals at scale is difficult to make economically viable.
The stadium and the market feel like different kinds of projects. Why announce them together?
Because a development tour is also a political event. The railway is the headline, but the stadium and the market are what residents in Voi will actually see and use day to day.
Ruto said he'll pass with an A-plus when voters examine him. Is that confidence or campaign rhetoric?
It's both, and it's worth noting he said it in a county he's clearly trying to consolidate. The grassroots UDA elections are two weeks away.
What's the biggest risk to this project actually delivering?
Cross-border coordination. The trade route only works if Tanzania is moving freight on its side too. A dry port in Voi is only as useful as what's happening at Taveta-Holili and beyond.