You paid for an SGR ticket and no confirmation came. Do this.
By Dennis Kiptoo · Madaraka Express hub · paybillke is an independent guide and is not affiliated with Madaraka Express.
Do not pay again. Kenya Railways has a documented route for exactly this: take the M-PESA transaction message to any Madaraka Express station and staff can print the ticket from the account number in that message plus the phone number you paid from. Your money is not lost; the SMS is.
What has actually gone wrong
Two different failures look identical from where you are standing, and they need different responses.
The confirmation SMS failed to send. The booking exists, the payment landed, the message did not arrive. Kenya Railways acknowledges this happens and publishes the workaround. This is the common case.
The payment window expired. If you paid by the PIN prompt you had about two minutes; by paybill transfer, about 30. Past that, the seat is released. Money sent after the window has nothing to attach to.
The way to tell them apart is the M-PESA message. If you have one, you paid. What you do not have is the ticket, and that is a printing problem, not a money problem.
What to do, in order
- Find the M-PESA confirmation SMS. Do not delete it and do not pay again.
- Note two things from it: the account number the money went to, and the phone number you paid from.
- Go to any Madaraka Express Passenger Service station, or the self-service ticket machines in the ticketing hall.
- Key in the phone number and that account number to print the ticket. Staff at the counter can do it for you if the machine gives trouble.
- If the station cannot find it, call 0709 388 887 with the M-PESA code to hand.
Find your e-ticket code
Print before you travel, not on the platform
What a valid ticket has on it
Worth checking before you walk away from the machine. Kenya Railways says a valid ticket must show: ticket number, route direction, departure time, date of travel, coach number, seat number, passenger name, passenger ID number, a 25-digit serial number and a square barcode.
That barcode is the QR code you hold against the gate scanner. If it did not print cleanly, get it reprinted at the counter rather than hoping.
Buy from Kenya Railways, nobody else
Kenya Railways puts this warning in its own FAQ, in bold: "Do not keep in contact with any individual seeking to sell you tickets using other ways or means." There are exactly three legitimate channels, and they are listed on this page. A ticket is not transferable and the ID on the ticket must match the person travelling, so a ticket bought in somebody else's name is a ticket you cannot board with.
If someone offers you a seat on a sold-out train for a fee, what they are selling you cannot work.
About this page
Frequently asked
I paid for SGR but got no confirmation SMS.
Take the M-PESA message to any station. The account number in it plus the phone number you paid from is enough to print the ticket. Do not pay again.
Where is my SGR e-ticket number?
It is a seven-letter code in the booking message, which also shows your departure, date, route, coach and seat.
My booking was cancelled before I paid.
The payment window ran out: about 2 minutes on the PIN prompt, about 30 on a paybill transfer. Book again and pay by paybill if you need the longer window.
Can I print my SGR ticket at the station?
Yes, at the self-service machines in the ticketing office at any station, on the day or before. Counter printing is also available.
I lost my printed ticket.
Station staff verify the booking and issue a Passenger Transport Record so you can travel. Kenya Railways charges 30% of the fare for this.