Kenya Railways Freight Train Catches Fire on Nairobi-Mombasa Route

(MAKUENI COUNTY, KENYA) – A Kenya Railways freight train carrying cargo from Nairobi to Mombasa caught fire at Masimba in Makueni County on Wednesday 1 July, triggering an emergency response.

Footage circulating online shows the engine of the train on fire before the blaze spreads to three or four cargo carriages. People are seen surrounding it trying to assess the situation.

Images show a large fire belching from the train’s engine with black smoke accompanying it. At the time of publishing, no emergency services were visible at the scene, although locals arrived to provide help.

Emergency teams were later dispatched to contain the blaze and assess the situation as efforts to secure the affected area continued.

Authorities have not yet established the cause of the fire. The extent of the damage and whether there were any casualties remain unconfirmed.

However, reports reaching the news desk indicate there are no casualties. A typical freight train normally has about three people on board: the locomotive driver, driver assistant and conductor.

The train was using the old metre gauge railway. It is unclear where exactly the train caught fire, but it has has been established that there is a passing station nearby.

The Masimba SGR Passing Station is approximately 145 kilometres from the Nairobi SGR Terminus and is the first area where emergency services can reach the train.

The accident is likely to disrupt passenger and freight services along the Nairobi to Mombasa railway corridor. It may cause delays, cancellations and rescheduling as Kenya Railways prioritises safety inspections and recovery operations across affected sections.

Road transport services may see increased passenger demand as travellers shift from rail to buses. This could lead to congestion on major highways linking Nairobi, Emali, Mtito Andei and the Mombasa corridor and adjacent routes.

Freight logistics between the port of Mombasa and inland markets are expected to slow significantly. This will affect cargo deliveries, supply chains and regional trade movement until full restoration of rail operations.

Kenya Railways has not issued a statement as of the time of publishing this story.