The Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) has reported near-full bookings on its premium-class coaches from Thursday with only a few slots available in night trains ahead of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM)’s 20th anniversary celebrations in Mombasa.

A check on the SGR online booking portal on Tuesday showed that the morning train from Nairobi to Mombasa was fully booked, while limited seats were still available on the 3pm and night services.

“Fully Booked – Search differently! Train seats fully booked for Nairobi Terminus to Mombasa Terminus. Please search for another date,” read a prompt on the SGR portal.

The spike in demand follows a social media campaign by ODM urging supporters to travel to Mombasa by train to attend the celebrations.

"Let’s SGR Together! Book your SGR ticket now so we can travel together to go celebrate Baba in Mombasa,” the party announced.

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Premium-class tickets for the full Nairobi–Mombasa route are currently priced at Sh12,000, while first-class tickets cost Sh4,500.

The ODM anniversary celebrations, scheduled from November 14 to 16, will commemorate the life and legacy of the late party leader Raila Odinga, who passed away on October 15 while receiving treatment in India.

The three-day event will include a youth concert, women and youth summits, a disability league breakfast, a tribute ceremony at Mama Ngina Waterfront, a founders’ dinner, and an interfaith thanksgiving service.

ODM had invited all its founding members to take part in the milestone celebrations marking two decades since the party’s establishment.

President William Ruto, an founder member, will grave a dinner event on Saturday.