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History: the railway through Kibera, and 15 years of promises to the families beside it.
The old Uganda Railway line runs straight through Kibera. Nairobi itself grew out of that railway in 1899. For thousands of families, living beside it has meant a long wait for promised housing.
The timeline
November 2011: Kenya Railways announces a Sh3.2 billion plan, starting January 2012, to move about 9,000 families in Kibera and Mukuru and clear a 60-metre safety strip beside the tracks.
July 2014: the plan is revised to about 9,000 families in Mukuru, Kibera and Kaloleni, at Sh7 billion, funded by the World Bank.
June 2015: the Muungano alliance reports about 10,000 families affected, more than 9,000 units under construction, over 900 market stalls, and temporary rent of Sh500 to Sh1,000.
September 2015: Kenya Railways says families will start moving into its houses in mid-September.
2017: the housing stalls. In 2019 Devex found families still waiting in temporary shelters.
April 2026: the State Department for Housing says it will take over the stalled Kenya Railways housing in Kibra, finish 900 units and build 3,000 more. No start date or cost was given.
September 2026: a Senate committee hears that only 256 of 1,432 Laini Saba households got houses. (KNN report)
The trains
Kenya Railways runs Nairobi Commuter Rail, and Kibera has a station on the line. KNN could not load the current timetable or fares and will add them when confirmed.
Follow the full story in the Kibra housing and evictions tracker.
Sources: Business Daily (2011), Business Daily (2014), Muungano wa Wanavijiji, Devex, Hubz Media, Kibera, Kenya Railways
That was a Kibra News Network report, read by an A I voice.
The old Uganda Railway line runs straight through Kibera. Nairobi itself grew out of that railway in 1899. For thousands of families, living beside it has meant a long wait for promised housing.
The timeline
November 2011: Kenya Railways announces a Sh3.2 billion plan, starting January 2012, to move about 9,000 families in Kibera and Mukuru and clear a 60-metre safety strip beside the tracks.
July 2014: the plan is revised to about 9,000 families in Mukuru, Kibera and Kaloleni, at Sh7 billion, funded by the World Bank.
June 2015: the Muungano alliance reports about 10,000 families affected, more than 9,000 units under construction, over 900 market stalls, and temporary rent of Sh500 to Sh1,000.
September 2015: Kenya Railways says families will start moving into its houses in mid-September.
2017: the housing stalls. In 2019 Devex found families still waiting in temporary shelters.
April 2026: the State Department for Housing says it will take over the stalled Kenya Railways housing in Kibra, finish 900 units and build 3,000 more. No start date or cost was given.
September 2026: a Senate committee hears that only 256 of 1,432 Laini Saba households got houses. (KNN report)
The trains
Kenya Railways runs Nairobi Commuter Rail, and Kibera has a station on the line. KNN could not load the current timetable or fares and will add them when confirmed.
KNN Newsroom is the staff byline for stories written, rewritten and edited at the Kibra News Network desk. Where a story credits an outside outlet, the original source is linked at the foot of the piece.
