Naema Tandao 
| Benmike Wekesa |
The Kenya Railways Corporation has strongly refuted claims that ten out of the eleven diesel multiple units (DMUs) they acquired from Spain in 2020 have broken down.
According to the corporation, all eleven DMUs are operational: some are on the move, others are here, and a few are awaiting deployment. They clarify that when five units are assigned to a route, the remaining ones are positioned to join once their turn comes up. This organization doesn’t imply that they aren’t functioning; they are all active.
The management affirms that the commuter diesel units are fully operational, covering all their designated routes. The DMUs are running seven trips to and from Embakasi Village, totaling fourteen round trips daily. Each train can accommodate about 600 passengers and operates from 5:30 AM until the end of the day, supplemented by other main commuter trains.
There were concerns raised by experts about the condition of the second-hand Spanish locomotives, which were purchased for 1.5 billion shillings. The management explains that once the DMUs reach a certain mileage, they are brought into their workshops for necessary repairs, which can be minor, short-term, or long-term. Within one to three days, most of these DMUs are back in full operation. Currently, they have only the eleven units procured from Spain.
However, as noted by one of the corporation’s representatives, they are in the second phase of implementing their master plan, aiming to acquire new high-capacity DMUs with seating capacity greater than the current 1,200 passengers. The corporation receives 300 million shillings annually to carry out regular maintenance of these eleven units.
