Despite indications by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga that the government would extend the Standard Gauge Railway from Naivasha to Kisumu, President Uhuru Kenyatta seems to have abandoned the plans.
Last month, Raila had indicated that the government was borrowing Sh368 billion from China to extend Phase 2B of the project, but the trip with him and Uhuru to Beijing later last month failed to live to expectations of people.
"I will be part of the delegation to accompany the President to the Asian country next week. The new SGR line will extend from Naivasha, Narok, Bomet, Sondu and finally Kisumu," Mr Odinga had said.
But on Wednesday, Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia ruled out extension of the SGR to Kisumu, revealing that the government is intending to use Sh210 billion to connect the SGR at Naivasha with the old Railway line.
The project he said, would take one year with Sh27 billion expected to link the SGR and the old line. The remaining Sh150 billion would be used in revamping the old Railway line that connects Malaba through Eldoret.
“We’re looking at options for the railway,” he told reporters Wednesday in the capital, Nairobi. “We prefer the private sector so there’s no impact on the country’s debt.”
“We shall quickly, very urgently, do a link between the SGR Naivasha and the MGR Naivasha to make sure there’s seamless transshipment when goods get to Mombasa,” Macharia said.
The move has forced Uganda to halt her plans of preparing for SGR, instead suspending the process until Kenya decides to continue with Naivasha-Kisumu SGR plan which has now been abandoned.
“In order for Uganda to start the actual construction we have to wait until Kenya has got somewhere so that as we do the SGR on the Ugandan side we arrive in Malaba at the same time,” Monica Ntege said at the same briefing.