• Tea from KTDA-managed factories will be transported from the tea growing counties to the Nairobi Freight Terminal where it will be loaded onto Kenya Railways wagons.
• The maiden trip from the partnership saw KTDA transport 31 containers of packed tea which translates to 800 tonnes.
Image: HANDOUT
Kenya Railways and the tea development agency have partnered to transport tea via the SGR from Nairobi to the port of Mombasa.
Under the partnership, tea from KTDA-managed factories will be transported from the tea growing counties to the Nairobi Freight Terminal.
The tea will then be loaded onto Kenya Railways wagons and subsequently transported to the port.
KTDA transported 31 containers of packed tea, which translates to 800 tonnes, on their maiden trip from the partnership.
The Principal Secretary in State Department for Crop Development, Hamadi Boga, said the move to transport tea via SGR is an innovative step that will lower transport costs and deliver better value to farmers.
Boga spoke in Mombasa on Thursday while receiving the first batch of KTDA tea to be hauled by Kenya Railways.
“Plans to transport tea via Kenya Railways have been in the pipeline for a while now as we explored new technologies and infrastructure to enhance efficiencies in the tea supply chain.
"We are cognisant that the progression to Kenya Railways will guarantee faster, safer and more convenient transportation of tea,” he said.
Kenya Railways managing director Phillip Mainga assured the KTDA team that opting for the Standard Gauge Railway was the best choice because of the benefits associated with railway transport.
He said Kenya Railways guarantees large volumes of cargo transported over shortened transit times due to high haulage capacity and the high speeds of the trains.
Mainga also assured KTDA of the safety of their cargo while in transit.
“We are glad to have this partnership with you. I assure you that Kenya Railways is up to task. We have enough capacity to handle all the cargo you can bring our way.
"At the moment we are running nine to eleven freight trains a day between Mombasa and Nairobi. We are able to do even more if need be,” he said.
The director said of paramount importance is the promise the service offers adding that they are always on time and the safety of cargo is guaranteed.
Mainga said the partnership will lead to decongestion on roads because one train can transport an equivalent volume that would take many trucks to transport by road.
"Today we are transporting 31 containers of tea on one train. This would have taken 31 trucks if we were to do it by road.
"We are therefore glad to be in this partnership with KTDA because the Madaraka Express Freight Service is a faster, safer and more efficient option,” the director said.
KTDA Holdings chairman, David Ichoho, said the organisation is piloting 20,000 packs per week as it continues to streamline the process for a full migration from road to rail transport.
“Every year we move about 300 million kilograms of processed teas and we expect these large volumes will mean greater savings for farmers as we progressively migrate to rail,” he said.
Kenya Railways will soon commence transhipment of cargo from the Standard Gauge Railway onto the Metre Gauge Railway line at Longonot station.
This will ensure that cargo is transported seamlessly via rail from the Port of Mombasa to Malaba and Kisumu.
As a result, the firm will attract more customers, especially cargo destined for Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
KTDA is also setting up a tea handling facility next to the Nairobi Inland Container Depot that will handle all teas for onward transportation by Kenya Railways.
The move underscores KTDA’s commitment to the new mode of transporting tea.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)