Concilia Owire

Concilia Owire is a Kenyan electrical engineer and locomotive pioneer who shattered a century-old gender barrier on the country’s rails. After earning a diploma in electrical and electronic engineering from Kisumu National Polytechnic, she joined Kenya Railways in 2015 as a technician on the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project. A year later she was one of only eight women, and the youngest recruit, selected for a year-long locomotive-operations scholarship at the Baoji Railway Institute in China, sponsored by China Road and Bridge Corporation.

On 19 January 2017, Owire became the first woman ever to helm an SGR diesel-electric locomotive, piloting the inaugural cargo run from Nairobi to Mombasa. She has since logged more than 450,000 kilometres on the Mombasa–Suswa line, trained 60 trainee drivers, and now serves as Senior Locomotive Driver and Technical Instructor, overseeing simulator-based competency checks for Kenya Railways and Africa Star Railway Operation Company.

Beyond the cab, Owire mentors girls through the Women in Rail Africa network, speaks at STEM outreach events, and collaborates with the State Department of Transport on inclusivity guidelines that have raised female participation in rail operations from 2 percent in 2017 to 11 percent in 2025. Her trailblazing journey continues to inspire a new generation to pursue careers once deemed out of reach.