Standard Gauge Railway construction picks up speed, promises 30,000 jobs for locals

The China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) is making steady progress with the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) and says it will complete 50 per cent of the civil works along the whole line by the end of this year.

The company, which is building the new Sh327 billion railway line, said it had done all the necessary preparation along the railway route including land clearing, staff recruitment, bringing in required equipment and putting in place the foundation for the railway.

This sets the stage for the actual laying of the railway line, which the firm began on January 1 this year.

Trial section

A trial section has already been laid at Mtito Andei, which was showcased to President Uhuru Kenyatta during a visit to the firm's campsite in the area last month.

"We have made sufficient preparations for the Mombasa-Nairobi SGR project in aspects of organisational structure, personnel mobilisation and supply of machinery, equipment and materials. Everything has been put in place," said CRBC Kenya Liaison Manager Julius Li.

So far, CRBC has put up 21 campsites, each of which will oversee the building of specific segments of the SGR. The campsites will decentralise the management of construction works and are expected to provide effective and efficient management of the project.

As of January, the firm had recruited 8,000 Kenyans to work in the different campsites along the railway and expects to step up hiring in the coming months as building works intensify.

CRBC said it intends to reach its target of 30,000 employees as the project gathers momentum.

"The plant for manufacturing sleepers, which was inspected by President Kenyatta last month, will provide jobs and train large numbers of Kenyan employees during construction of the railway," said Mr Li.