Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has confirmed that the Kenyan government will commence the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) that connects Naivasha to Kisumu in January next year.
Speaking during the launch of the construction of the Malaba to Kampala railway line, on Thursday, November 21, Museveni announced the SGR would be developed in phases, beginning with the Malaba to Kampala and Naivasha to Kisumu routes.
The construction would then proceed to other routes, including the Western route that interconnects Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and finally the Northern route that connects Uganda to South Sudan.
Addressing the press during the groundbreaking ceremony in Malaba, at the Kenya-Uganda border, President Museveni explained that the SGR would reduce transit duration from 14 days to 24 hours.
“Works on the Naivasha-Malaba section by our Kenyan counterparts will start very soon. The two countries have agreed on the timelines of the two projects to ensure seamless movement of trains from Kampala to Mombasa,” Museveni noted.
According to the Ugandan Head of State, the Malaba-Kampala line, which is 272 km, would be constructed within 48 months. “For the next 48 months, concrete on steel with ballast toppings will be our daily sight for 272 km,” he added.
He further noted that once the construction of the railway line is completed, the trade between Kenya and Uganda would be enhanced as the latter would be able to transport its imports, including petroleum products, seamlessly.
Museveni’s announcement comes hardly a fortnight after Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir announced that Kenya would soon begin the construction of the SGR from Naivasha to Kisumu.
In a joint statement following a meeting with regional ministers, including the Ugandan transport minister, Chirchir noted they had agreed on the establishment of a framework to protect SGR assets once the construction is completed.
“The ministers expressed their commitment to fast packing the development and harmonisation of the policy, including the legal and institutional framework,” read part of the communiqué.
In 2014, the governments of Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and the DRC signed an agreement for the construction of the Standard Guage Railway line from Mombasa to Kampala to Kigali and finally to the DRC.
Despite the agreement, the construction of the SGR came to a sudden end in Naivasha after China declined to fund the remaining part of the construction works following a disagreement with Uganda.
BY Kenyans