A Kenya Railways freight train travelling from Nairobi to Mombasa caught fire in the Masimba area of Makueni County on Wednesday evening, triggering an emergency response along the old metre-gauge line.
Footage circulating online showed flames engulfing the engine before spreading to three or four cargo carriages, with thick black smoke visible for kilometres as local residents gathered along the track to watch the blaze, with no emergency crews visible in the early footage.
The cause of the fire has not yet been established, and the full extent of the damage to the train and its cargo remains unconfirmed.
Early reports suggest there were no casualties, with a typical freight crew on that route comprising a driver, an assistant driver and a conductor, all of whom were reported safe.
The train was travelling on the older metre-gauge line rather than the Standard Gauge Railway, at a point roughly 145 kilometres from the Masimba SGR Passing Station, which was the nearest access point emergency responders could use to reach the scene given the remote location.
The incident is expected to disrupt both freight and passenger rail movement between Nairobi and Mombasa in the coming days, potentially pushing more travellers and cargo operators onto the parallel road route through Emali and Mtito Andei.
Businesses reliant on rail transport for goods moving to and from the Mombasa port have also flagged concerns over potential delays while the line is inspected and cleared. Kenya Railways had not issued an official statement on the cause of the fire, the cost of damage, or a timeline for resuming normal operations by the time of publication, though sources within the corporation indicated an internal investigation team had been dispatched to the site overnight.