SGR is here, now let’s make it work for Kenyans

This week, President Uhuru Kenyatta launched the Madaraka Express bringing Nairobi and Mombasa even closer.

The completion of the Standard Gauge Railway project on schedule is one of the signature achievements of the government. It is a shame it took more than a century for us to improve on the original line built by the British. And so forgetting for a second how we got here, we should celebrate the fact that as a country we did this. This is now a Kenyan economic lifeline. And Kenyans of good will should do all in their power to make it work for citizens – ferrying goods to foreign markets and bringing in what we need, in addition to easing passenger traffic between our cities and towns. It is my hope the extension of the line to Kisumu and then Malaba will continue on schedule. I also hope the next government, whether NASA or Jubilee, will see the sense in dualing the Mombasa-Kisumu-Busia highway, in the same spirit of opening up all parts of Kenya for economic development.