Chinese-built SGR provides career development opportunities to Kenyan women locomotive drivers

Published: May28,2022

While growing up in a farming village in north-western Kenya, Tabitha Kiplimo had to defy entrenched gender stereotypes to prove that career success was not a preserve of her male peers.

The 30-year-old electrical engineering major was recruited by the contractor of the 480-km Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) soon after graduation, where her skills and agility proved to be a valuable asset.According to Kiplimo, an internship with China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) which was constructing the modern railway line gave her a platform to hone her skills besides improving cross-cultural interaction.

Prior to the launch of the Mombasa-Nairobi SGR commuter train service on May 31, 2017, Kiplimowent to China to undertake a two-month course in locomotives’ operations, marking a milestone in her career growth.”We trained on critical aspects of operating a locomotive including signaling, the braking system and engine,” Kiplimo told Xinhua during a recent interview. “The training has been continuous and we feel adequately skilled to steer the Mombasa-Nairobi SGR passenger train as its contribution to the country’s economic transformation becomes abundantly clear.”

Kiplimo said that driving the modern passenger train under the supervision of a Chinese instructor since the middle of 2017 has been an exciting experience. She admitted that little did she anticipate that she would one day find herself in an otherwise male-dominated field while crediting her parents, tutors and Chinese instructors for nudging her to go the distance irrespective of setbacks.”So I feel honored to be part of the pioneering group of female SGR locomotive drivers. It is an inspiration to young girls whom I believe are equal to the task when they grow up,” she said.

Currently promoted to a mid-level managerial position by the SGR operator, Kiplimo said in the last two months, she has been handling some elevated tasks like data analysis. She revealed that she will soon be working at the locomotive dispatch office where she will be handling technical tasks, a reaffirmation of her steady career growth nearly five years since becoming a locomotive driver.Ahead of the fifth anniversary since its launch, the Mombasa-Nairobi passenger train service besides revolutionizing mobility and commerce along its corridor has also advanced gender equality in its core operations, according to Shallom Waweru, a female locomotive driver in her late 20s.

Waweru majored in education and Chinese language at a public university and in 2016 soon after recruitment by CRBC, she went to China for rigorous training on all aspects of locomotive operations.”The training in China revolved around theory and practice as relates to operating a locomotive and when we came back in 2017, we joined the newly launched SGR locomotive as drivers,” said Waweru.Waweru insisted steering the locomotive under supervision for nearly five years has been a rewarding experience, and her curiosity, agility and fortitude have paved the way for steady career mobility.

Waweru is still driving the Mombasa-Nairobi SGR passenger train, but she has been bestowed some managerial tasks including coordination. The team spirit that is highly valued by her employer has created a conducive environment for female locomotive drivers to thrive, said Waweru, adding that she looked forward to mentoring young girls to venture into technical fields.

“As I continue to perfect my knowledge and skills in locomotive operations, I look forward to transferring the same expertise to young girls. They should be encouraged to plunge into careers that are of technical nature,” said Waweru.She confessed that she toyed with the idea of becoming a locomotive driver at a tender age while growing up in a rural village in south-eastern Kenyan plains, having watched old wagons being hurtled along a nearby meter gauge railway.

As for Elizabeth Wanjala, a Chinese language major in her late 20s, joining the ranks of the first group of female SGR locomotive drivers in 2017 paved the way for career growth and financial independence.Wanjalawent to China in early 2017 to undergo a three-month training on locomotive operations and when she returned to Kenya, she started driving the Mombasa-Nairobi SGR passenger train, under the supervision of Chinese instructors.

“It is a great honor to be among the first group of female SGR locomotive drivers in the country and look forward to the growth of our railway economy,” said Wanjala.Having been elevated to a mid-level managerial post, Wanjala said that her responsibilities have expanded to include planning and coordinating with other locomotive drivers. 

Xinhua