Murkomen Spearheads SGR Extension to Uganda!
Friday, July 28th, Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen announced that Kenya and Uganda have signed an agreement to extend the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) into the neighboring nation.
Murkomen, who announced after signing the documents at the SGR Mombasa Terminal, stated that the SGR extension will commence in Naivasha, pass through Kisumu, reach the Malaba border, and connect to the Malaba-Kampala route in Uganda.
The agreement stipulates that the extension of the SGR will be constructed concurrently to guarantee the project’s timely completion.
Along the rail route, both nations have decided to construct industrial complexes and dry ports to encourage trade and investment. The strategic move is intended to facilitate the flow of products and stimulate economic growth in the region.
The railway will facilitate the current truck-based transportation of gasoline along the Mombasa-Nairobi-Kisumu Highway.
“By signing this communique, the two countries committed to pursuing the SGR extension project as a regional initiative under the Northern Corridor Integration Projects Initiative.
“Uganda has committed to ensuring that the SGR is extended to the borders of Rwanda, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo as soon as possible to enhance the financial viability and attractiveness of the SGR along the Northern Corridor,” the statement stated in part.
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Uganda and Kenya will jointly seek funding for the multibillion-dollar initiative. Uganda has already secured Ksh327 billion from a global bank in May 2023, with a Turkish company securing the bid.
The Kenyan government, on the other hand, has not yet disclosed the exact cost of the extension within its borders.
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta, who initiated the SGR project, traveled to Beijing in 2019 in an attempt to secure a Ksh380 billion loan from China for the extension but was unsuccessful.
Intriguingly, State House denied that Uhuru traveled to China to secure the loan after newspapers criticized former Head of State and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who supported the move.
“It is extremely disappointing to read newspaper excerpts. Former State House Chief of Staff Nzioka Waita stated at the time, “The President cannot be said to be returning empty-handed for something he did not request.”
During the inspection of the Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Mai Mahiu Naivasha in December 2022, however, China’s ambassador to Kenya, Zhou Pingjian, offered to support the extension of the SGR.
The diplomat stated, “Kenya is a close ally, and we are eager to collaborate with it on other transport infrastructure projects, including the SGR and roads.”
Murkomen Spearheads SGR Extension to Uganda!
