The newly refurbished Nairobi-Nanyuki Railway line will soon pave the way to cheaper and safer fuel for Kenyans in the Mount Kenya and Northern regions.
Making the announcement in Nanyuki during a familiarisation tour of the line, Petroleum Principal Secretary Andrew Kamau told other stakeholders that after the pipeline, railway transport is a cheaper way to transport fuel than road because it is faster and safer.
“As government, we are very excited that with funds that came from KPC, Kenya Railways has been able to execute this project within a few months and we look forward to its commissioning very soon,” said Kamau.
The Sh1.8 billion, used to support rehabilitation of the Nairobi-Nanyuki Meter Gauge Railway, was part of KPC’s remittances to the exchequer in form of special dividends.
“I am happy that we already have an anchor client for this rehabilitated line in the name of Vivo Energy Kenya who is ready to utilise the line by ferrying fuel from Nairobi to Nanyuki for easy access to consumers in several counties in this region,” the PS added.
Accompanying Mr. Kamau was his transport counterpart Solomon Kitungu who said that the line which had been unutilised for many years was now ready to open up several economic opportunities in the region.
“The economic benefits of this refurbished line especially in agriculture will go beyond the Mount Kenya region to other neighbouring counties. There will also be fewer accidents on our roads hence saving on lives,” PS Kitungu observed adding that the rehabilitated line will also contribute significantly to the realisation of the government’s Big 4 agenda.
Laikipia Governor Ndiritu Muriithi concurred that the refurbished line will open a new chapter in the region’s economy which he approximated to be about one trillion shillings.
“This line will not only enable us to import critical products such as fuel and farm inputs, but it will also improve our capacity to export our homegrown agricultural products to intended markets on time and in an efficient way,” Laikipia county boss said during a tour of Vivo Energy depot in Nanyuki.
“With this line, I see Nanyuki becoming a natural logistics hub for more than 10 counties in this region. Besides the line easing our logistics in the way we conduct our business, there is bound to be significant growth for Nanyuki,” the Governor said.
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