Philip Jamuhuri Mainga is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Kenya Railways Corporation.
The economist joined KRC as a trainee, and now he holds the senior-most position.
He has led the corporation through a period marked by the expansion of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), growth of Madaraka Express services and renewed investment in the older Metre Gauge Railway (MGR).
Philip Mainga’s Early Life and Education
Philip Mainga was born on December 12, 1967, and his family background is not publicly documented.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Master of Arts in Economics from the University of Mysore in India.
Mainga later earned a Master’s degree in Project Planning and Management from the University of Nairobi.
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He also undertook training in driving government performance at Harvard University in Boston, United States. He studied regional integration in Africa through the World Bank Institute and the African Economic Research Consortium.
His railway-specific training included studies at the Railway Training Institute, as well as training in countries including China, the United Kingdom and the United States. In an interview, Mainga said his combination of academic, technical and operational training helped him develop an understanding of the railway industry.
His Career at Kenya Railways
Mainga joined Kenya Railways in 1997 as an assistant planning officer and management trainee in the planning department. He held several positions, including procurement officer, Corporate Planning and Research Manager and General Manager for Business and Operations.
Mainga revealed that between 2002 and 2003, KRC employees went without salaries since the corporation faced financial difficulties.
During the Rift Valley Railways concession period, Mainga reported to work without a salary and no defined role before being reinstated in 2008. During this period, he considered opportunities at the Central Bank of Kenya but stayed.
Before being appointed as the acting Managing Director, Mainga served as General Manager, Business and Operations.
He was appointed acting Managing Director in February 2019 before being formally appointed to the position in January 2020 for a three-year term.
Under his leadership, major railway developments include the operation of the Nairobi-Mombasa SGR, commissioning of the SGR Phase 2A to Naivasha, rehabilitation of the Metre Gauge Railway, and expansion of Nairobi commuter services.
Kenya Railways marked eight years of the service in June 2025, reporting that the operation had expanded from the original express service into a wider network of inter-county, afternoon and night passenger services alongside freight operations.
Under his leadership, KRC has expanded freight capacity. In 2024, Kenya Railways announced the acquisition of 50 additional wagons to strengthen Madaraka Express freight services
Mainga is an author of Doing Business in Kenya, a UNDP-Kenya handbook published in 2006, and Economics and Ethics, published in 2010. He has also received the presidential Elder of the Order of the Burning Spear (EBS) award and was named Star Person of the Year in 2020.
Family and Net Worth
Mainga has kept much of his private life private, and in an interview, he said he is the father of four children.
His earnings as Kenya Railways Managing Director are also not publicly itemised as a single figure. However, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) sets and reviews remuneration for senior public-sector positions.
Under the current public-sector salary structure, Grade E4 positions have a basic monthly salary ranging from KSh312,000 to KSh576,000, per the SRC’s July 2026 salary review.
The compensation package can also include allowances and other benefits. However, Philip Mainga has not publicly disclosed his net worth.
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