The government has projected that restoring the meter gauge railway at Longonot damaged by recent floods could cost up to a billion shillings.
Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen highlighted the extensive destruction during an inspection tour of the affected areas along Uplands-Kijabe-Longonot.
He noted that an ongoing assessment would help determine the precise financial burden on taxpayers.
"We have not done the total computation but as you can see the destruction is massive and so we require a sizeable amount of investment to restore it," Murkomen said.
His tour was part of the broader evaluation of the damages inflicted by the heavy rains on vital transport infrastructure.
According to Murkomen, a total of Sh30 billion is needed for the damaged roads and bridges across the country.
At least five sections of the railway from Rironi to Longonot, he said, were cut off by the rains.
Murkomen could not, however, provide the specific timelines on when the works are set to be completed, only emphasising its significance.
He noted that the restoration of the line was urgent in order to retain the Northern Corridor as the most attractive transport route.
He acknowledged the negative impact that has been caused by the disconnection of transportation of cargo from Mombasa to Kampala.
He said this will depend on the resources that will be availed by the Treasury for the purpose.
"There is no point to complete this particular part yet we have not restored the other four sections. The proper timeline to provide to the Kenyans is the complete restoration of the line," he stated.
The destruction on the line and the roads in the area has had a far-reaching impact on the local community and beyond.
According to Murkomen, the destruction resulting from the flash floods cannot be entirely attributed to acts on nature.
“The problem we are facing is because of environmental deflation and climate change. If you look at what is happening up there, there is massive destruction of trees and it has been going on for a while; when it rained it brought with it stumps of trees,” he said.
At the site, earth movers have been deployed to clear the debris ahead of the commencement of the works.
Murkomen was accompanied by Transport Principal Secretary Mohamed Daghar and Kenya Railways managing director Philip Mainga among other leaders.
Earlier, the CS addressed families of those killed during the recent tragedy at Kijabe where he assured them of government support.
He said there are plans to put in place mitigating measures to avert future occurrences.
