Major relief at Kenya Railways as Mainga as takes charge – Weekly Citizen

Transport cabinet secretary James Macharia’s appointment of Philip Mainga as the new Kenya Railways Corporation managing director ultimately bringing to an end of many months of uncertainty in the wake of a protracted delay in naming the public railway transport infrastructure’s chief executive to replace Atanas Maina, who was suspended from office in July 2018 on corruption related allegations has brought a new lease of life at the parastatal.

Mainga’s new appointment on a three-year term that commenced on February 3, the KRC board chairman, Pastor Awita committed the board to support Mainga in his new role.

Macharia made the decision to appoint Mainga following a recommendation by the board, pursuant to the resolution of a special board meeting held on January 7.

Having served in an acting capacity since July 2018, amid simmering boardroom struggles that would eventually culminate in former chairman Michael Waweru’s exit, Mainga is now primed to steer Kenya Railways to fresh heights against a backdrop of sustained initiatives to revamp old railway lines across the country, a key plank to bestowing the corporation a new facelift as.

The Sh21 billion countrywide restoration of the old railway lines is part of the new administration’s strategy to reclaim the multibillion-shilling state corporation’s lost glory, for long gone with wanton wastage and plunder, as well as enabling the expansive railway network deliver cargo haulage on the standard gauge railway.

Perhaps to augment the realisation of this strategic objective among other envisaged initiatives, Mainga’s confirmation comes hot on the heels of a shakeup in top management to align the corporation with new emerging roles to help deliver new projects.

In the revamped management positions, KRC now has David Njogu as general manager, legal services; Edwin Njeru, head, internal audit and research; Jessica Indangasi, GM for ICT; Peter Kamakia, accounts manager and John Maina, GM planning, design and environment.

The changes also saw Francis Wanjohi assume the docket of real estate valuation and agency manager, with Job Owita bagging the lead role of strategy and economic planning head. Still, Eric Kamwenwa will head the train services mantle, as is Mark Murkomen who comes in as security services manager.

On their part, Rebecca Owour and Everlyne Ngari were appointed ICT and administration managers respectively. To enhance staff motivation and morale, KRC had earlier promoted more than 100 junior staff.

Foremost in Mainga’s in-tray is the immediate task of overseeing the refurbishing restoration of the old railway between Naivasha and Malaba as well as linking it with the standard gauge railway currently terminating at Suswa.

Other areas of core interest that the MD is faced with include the linkage of the SGR and the metre gauge railway. In the same vein, Mainga is bequeathed with the improvement of service delivery on the transformative Madaraka Express passenger train plying the Mombasa-Nairobi route.

Increasingly popular since its launch in 2017, the SGR passenger service has however come under sharp focus, weighed down by ticketing cartels.

During Mainga’s stint at the top of KRC, the SGR passenger and freight services earned Sh8.8 billion over the nine months to September last year, a phenomenal 136 per cent leap from Sh3.73 billion earned over a similar period in 2018.

The urgent need to debunk the widely held stereotype on SGR’s contested viability in the wake of mindboggling Chinese debt is a matter that should be of significant concern to the new MD.