Ruto: Conflict of interest flawed SGR performance in Naivasha

Deputy President William Ruto. [Samson Wire, Standard]

Conflict of interest, state capture and corruption are the main factors that flawed the performance of some projects under the Jubilee administration, Deputy President William Ruto says.

The DP was responding to a question by a voter who inquired why he was against the SGR project lately yet he was among the people who championed the project in its early days.

Speaking during a town hall meeting organised by KTN News on Thursday night, the DP said conflict of interest was the main reason why the Standard-Gauge Railway did not meet its intended objective.

He claimed that the SGR project started facing challenges when parties involved shifted focus from boosting the economy to satisfying personal interests.

“The SGR became a captive of personal interests because people started to look at how they would use the trains to make money. The only problem is a conflict of interest that is why we must deal with it,” Ruto said.

“I am an ardent supporter of the SGR and I believe in scaling up the infrastructure. The SGR ended up in Naivasha to tap into geo-thermal power and to help us in the leather and textile industry. That is why I have prioritized it in my manifesto,” he added.

The presidential hopeful has also said that there were no plans to extend the SGR past Naivasha.

“We did not intend to move the SGR beyond Naivasha. If that possibility arises, then it will depend on its viability and partnerships with other countries,” he said.

“If we moved to the SGR 18 cargo trucks every day it will pay the debt but we are stuck between nine and 12,”

Ruto, while explaining why they opted to have SGR in Naivasha, said that the intention was to make Naivasha an industrial city. He has also said that the plan was disrupted when some people (without mentioning names) interfered.

“Naivasha was to be our industrial city but other people took advantage and moved port operations there. When we win elections, we will reverse port operations brought to Nairobi back to Mombasa,” he said.

SGR operations in Naivasha kicked off in 2019, with questions arising over its viability.

That left Kenyans with uncertainty over the funding to complete the final phase to Ugandan border in order to make it commercially viable.

The Chinese funding for the last phase of the SGR to Malaba had been pegged on the willingness by Uganda to build its part from the Kenyan border to Kampala.

However, Uganda hit a snag in terms of funding after China turned down their proposal, forcing it to start rehabilitating its metre gauge railway.