Railway vandals to face life imprisonment in proposed bill

The Ministry of Roads and Transport has introduced a bill that is aimed at curbing railway infrastructure vandalism and promoting safety in the sector.

The bill proposes that any person who interferes with railway control systems, intentionally damages or destroys, vandalizes or causes to move or shift any railway signalling installation, or places on the railway track obstacle that might lead to the derailment or capsizing of a train commits an offence and shall be liable, upon conviction, to imprisonment for life.

Speaking in Nanyuki on Tuesday during the Railway Bill 2024 public participation, Railway safety engineer Jonathan Kilelo said that the laws proposed on vandalism are targeted to protect the lives of train users.

“The bill has proposed very serious penalties for the vandals and interference of the railway assets because we carry a lot of people and when we have interferences in the vaults, the clips could cause deaths of all those people,” he warned.

The last reforms were implemented in 2005.

The bill will also ensure the railway transport sector complies with the regional and international conventions on the economic, safety and environmental sustainability of railway transport.

“There is a need to change our laws to conform with the modern days since globally, people have advanced in the railway sector and there are laws laid in place by the international conventions which we must comply with,” Senior Counsel in the Transport ministry Brenda Mwango said,

She added that, once the bill is passed into law, it would also promote fairness and competitiveness in railway operations.

“Kenya Railway has been the operator, implementer of the safety standards and a constructor, however, with the bill there will be the introduction of the infrastructure manager and Railway Regulatory Authority to ensure there is efficiency and effectiveness,” she told Nanyuki residents.

Additionally, she pointed out that the proposed bill would help in the establishment of Railway Training Institutes to undertake training in the railway sector.

Residents urged for consideration of job opportunities and lowering of train fares destined for different parts of the country.

Paul Gituthu, a resident, urged the Ministry of Transport to sensitize people on the importance of using trains since they were the most effective.

He further called on the government to provide ample time for those who had encroached on railway lands to relocate before evicting them.

Members of the public wishing to give their views on the proposed Bill have until September 13 to submit their written memoranda to the Ministry of Transport through [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected]