The Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) has refuted a report suggesting that they plan to acquire new Diesel Electric Multiple Units (DEMUs) because the previously acquired units have become obsolete.
The report, published by a local daily, claimed that 11 Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) obtained in 2020 as part of a master plan to improve city commuting for Kenyans are now unfit for operation due to a lack of spare parts for repairs.
In response, KRC stated that the report is inaccurate and clarified that the master plan has been successful, with no DMUs currently out of service. The corporation emphasized that all DMUs, along with other locomotives and coaches, undergo regular maintenance to ensure passenger safety.
“In accordance with our standard operating procedures, we routinely recall and detach locomotives and coaches, including the DEMUs, for maintenance, which is conducted at the Nairobi Railway Central workshops,” KRC explained.
“The DMUs have been operational and continue to address the immediate needs identified in the master plan for providing reliable, safe, and comfortable modern rail transport services.”
They also noted that the DMUs were initially scheduled to operate on the Nairobi – Syokimau and Embakasi routes, but were redirected to serve the Embakasi route, while a high-capacity train was allocated to the Syokimau route due to increased customer demand.
KRC announced that the new DEMUs to be purchased will have a seating capacity of 1,200 passengers, which is double that of the existing DMUs. DEMUs consist of an eight-car set that includes both motorized and non-motorized units, allowing for the configuration of lower-capacity subsets.
