RVR safety audit ordered after train brake system fails

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No fatalities or injuries were recorded in the Wednesday incident, police and officials said.
The unmanned engine sped past level stations at Mutindwa and Dandora, and stopped near Mwiki at a slope.

Kenya has ordered an immediate safety review of Rift Valley Railways (RVR) operations following a Wednesday night incident when a train engine sped across the Nairobi’s network unmanned after its braking system failed.

Kenya's Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia said his ministry was “really concerned” about the latest event.

He said a similar incident was reported in Changamwe recently.

“I have directed the managing director of Kenya Railways to swiftly look into the matter and submit a conclusive audit report by Friday….I expect a review of safety of the operations of RVR. We shall not sit back if there is risk to passengers involved,” Mr Macharia said.

No fatalities or injuries were recorded in the Wednesday incident, police and officials said.

According to police, the engine’s braking system failed at the Makadara station in Nairobi. It then sped across the city’s network, forcing the driver to jump off as it gained momentum.

The unmanned engine sped past level stations at Mutindwa and Dandora in the outskirts of Nairobi, and stopped near Mwiki - a Nairobi suburb about 14km from the city centre - at a slope.

Railway Police Unit Commandant Kirimi Ringera said on Wednesday evening the driver alighted on realising he could not stop it.

RVR, a Kenya-Uganda concessionaire, operates freight rail services in Kenya and Uganda.

The concession company went through a shareholder restructuring in 2010 and was given the mandate to operate railway services on 2,352 kilometres of track from the Mombasa to Kampala.

The Kenyan railway is in its 115th year of operation and has been plagued by safety issues. Derailments are common.

In November 2013, a passenger train rammed into a public service vehicle at Mutindwa, Umoja, in Nairobi. Twelve people died.

On the morning of October 16, 2005, a matatu was struck by a passenger train near Kisumu. Six people died and 23 more were injured.

In 2000, 13 people died near Kisumu after a passenger train rolled backwards due to failed brakes. In the same year, at least 25 people were burnt to death after a freight train carrying gas exploded.