The Kenya Railways has notified all customers of the Madaraka Express of the official channels where they should make all their ticket bookings.
In a statement on February 3, Kenya Railways revealed that tickets could only be accessed through three official channels.
“Kenya Railways wishes to notify members of the public that all bookings for Madaraka Express Passenger Service are strictly facilitated through the following official channels,” part of the statement read.
According to the statement, these three channels include; their website, www.metickets.krc.co.ke; the USSD code, *639# and lastly any of their physical locations.
The Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) train in transit.
Photo
African Marketing Confederation
They further notified the public of the only two phone numbers they use to engage with their customers which are 0709 907 000 or 0709 907 555.
In case of any booking issues arising from utilising booking channels outside the ones provided, the managing director revealed that the corporation would not be held liable.
“The Corporation will not be held liable for any issues arising from bookings or calls made outside the official channels listed above,” the statement declared.
“We urge all passengers to utilize the authorized channels to ensure a smooth travel experience on the Madaraka Express Passenger Service. Thank you for your cooperation.”
Since its launch, SGR has recorded instances of fraud carried out by its officials as well as cybercriminals targeting unwitting Kenyans trying to book trips to the coast.
On February 3, 2024, Kenya Railways flagged four mobile applications that were reportedly being used to scam Kenyans making bookings.
The corporation listed; SGR Madaraka Express, SGR Madaraka Express Mobile, Madaraka Express-Online Book, and Madaraka Express as the apps being used to scam Kenyans.
They also warned of other tricks the fraudsters had adopted to mislead Kenyans with unverified communication including creating pseudo-social media pages to relay misleading information on the platforms.
On Facebook for instance, there were accounts namely; SGR-Madaraka Express Customer Service call, SGR Forum-Madaraka Express, and Madaraka Express Customer Service while on X accounts such as; @KenyaRailway, @_KenyaRailways_, @kenyarailwaykrc, @KenyaRailw39401, @KenyaRailwayske, @Kenyarailway_ke, @KenyaRailway and @KanyoRailways were being used fraudulently.
“Please note that Kenya Railways’ official pages and contacts are Kenya Railways on Facebook and @Kenya Railways on Twitter,” the corporation clarified.
A section of the SGR Mombasa Terminus
Kenyans.co.ke