60 per cent of SGR project complete, says Transport PS

About 60 per cent of the Sh350 billion Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) is complete, according to a senior official at the Transport ministry.

New Transport Principal Secretary Irungu Nyakera Monday said most of the challenges facing the project have been overcome and the schedule to complete it by mid next year is on course. Mr Irungu was speaking during a media briefing during which he was taken through a familiarisation tour of the project from Nairobi to Mombasa.

The PS also revealed that 56 locomotives were expected to dock at the port of Mombasa by the end of this year. “We are now in the process of checking the quality of the rail and reviewing the milestones that we have encountered so far,” the transport PS said.

He further laid down plans by the Government to encourage counties where the railway will pass through to take advantage of the project.

“A county like Kisumu will greatly benefit especially after the Sh140 billion port being built there is complete. We want to create value for the rail by roping in the counties to take advantage of it,” Irungu said.

The SGR project, which also includes the East African countries of Uganda and Rwanda, also welcomed DR Congo. Irungu said the entry of DR Congo was going to open up the region and link Mombasa to the west of Africa.

A major concern has been the railway’s passage through the Nairobi National Park. Environmental groups have voiced their opposition, arguing that the rail will interfere with the ecosystem.

Land for SGR

“Back in the 1920s, most of Nairobi was a forest where animals roamed free. But that did not stop us from building a city here,” Irungu said in what is likely to rub environmentalists in a wrong way.

However, the PS added that measures will be taken to ensure the rail will have minimal interference with animals. Trains are expected to speed through the park in a few minutes, creating little disturbance.

Irungu cited challenges such as the acquisition of land, which proved extremely difficult for the Government and its partners.

“I am glad that the National Land Commission was very helpful in getting us the land that we needed. We have now spent Sh2.5 billion in acquiring land for SGR,” the PS said.