When the government said that the standard gauge railway, SGR, will pass through the Nairobi National park, many Kenyans, especially environmental conservationists, strongly opposed the idea.
Of course, they had to be concerned. Is it not to their best interest to conserve the environment?
Nairobi National park is a major tourist attraction and destroying it is like exposing our nakedness.
However, from an economic point of view, we shall have to sacrifice a small portion of the park and get the railway line constructed.
The SGS, which is set to be completed in July 2017 (Mombasa-Nairobi section), will ease transportation of bulky goods from Mombasa to Uganda.
With a speed as high as 120km/h, it will also ease human transport and reduce traffic in our roads.
Kenya loses millions per day due to traffic jam. Apart from providing thousands of job opportunities for our youths, the SGR project will reduce the wear and tear on our roads, reducing road maintenance costs.