Build on lessons learnt during first leg of SGR construction

With plans for the construction of the third phase of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from Naivasha to Kisumu beginning to take shape, expectations are that work on this section will have less disruptions. The Government has finally presented the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report seeking approval to go ahead with the project so that the SGR can ultimately link the Port of Mombasa to neighbouring countries.

It is expected that with this report, the public will get their first indication of the scope of the work involved in constructing 257 kilometres of railway tracks from Naivasha to Kisumu.

Individuals must now begin to prepare to make submissions about the environmental considerations that must be appraised. As they do this, at the back of their minds must be the knowledge that the SGR will be of immense benefit to those in the hinterland and the regional economy at large. The line from Nairobi to Mombasa has demonstrated that the SGR can give passengers an attractive transport option from the coastal region to Nairobi.

However, logistical inefficiencies of cargo transportation on the SGR line have been noted, mainly because it is still not viable to transport goods from the coast if they are destined for regions beyond Nairobi. The construction of the first leg from the coast region to Nairobi offered some valuable lessons which project managers of the Naivasha-Kisumu phase must build on. After many missteps, the Kenya Railway Corporation (KRC) finally improved on the process of acquiring land for the line. The compensation process is now almost complete, with a few legal challenges still being litigated in the courts.

However, the over valuation of land will continue to be a sticking point for Kenya Railways during the construction of the Naivasha-Kisumu phase and this must be prudently managed. It is hoped that environmental concerns will be minimised this time as stakeholders make their presentations to the National Environment Management Authority before construction work begins.