Kenya's standard gauge railway (SGR) maintained a steady movement of cargo from the port of Mombasa to the capital Nairobi despite the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting various sectors in the first half of the year.

New data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics seen on Friday showed that the service moved about 1.98 million tons of cargo between January and June.

This was a slight decline from a similar period in 2019, where 2.20 million tons of cargo was moved in the first half.

Considering the fact that COVID-19 pandemic hit Kenya from March, affecting port operations, the movement of cargo this year was stable.

Most of the cargo in the first half of this year was moved between April and June, when some 1.05 million tons were ferried on the SGR, with the rest between January and March, according to the bureau.

During the period, it said the SGR's cargo business generated 5.53 billion shillings (about 51.7 million U.S. dollars) in revenue, a slight fall from 52.6 million dollars in a similar period in 2019.

Most of the cargo ferried in the period under review was medical supplies and grains, as demand for the trains rose as the country battled COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Afristar Railway Operation Company, the Chinese firm that runs the freight and passenger services, it records 14 freight trains per day on average.