Political analyst Brian Weke has stressed on the need for the government to reconsider the cost of the planned extension of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) construction.
This comes at a time when President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga are already in China to collect a loan for the extension of the line to Kisumu.
But Weke is of the opinion that the cost of the first phase of the construction per kilometre was inflated, and now wants Uhuru and Raila to consider relooking into the issue.
He stressed on the need for the cost to be reduced, saying that the nation is most likely losing money to some corrupt individuals who have hijacked the project for self-gain.
"Cost ya huu ujenzi lazima ipunguzwe kwa sababu ile pesa ya kwanza ingetosha kutoka Mombasa hadi Kisumu kama hakungekuwa na wizi. (The construction cost should be reconsidered, the initial allocation was in itself enough to complete the whole project from Mombasa to Kisumu)," said the commentator.
Weke was speaking on Milele FM's Kivumbi show where he also defended Raila from critics who are accusing him of supporting an initiative he initially opposed.
He argued that the ODM leader was never opposed to the railway, but was rather uncomfortable with the exaggerated sum of money at which the government wanted to do it.
"Raila hajawai pinga SGR, ni yeye na Raila Kibaki ndio walioianzisha, shida yake ni zile pesa zilizotengwa kwa hiyo minajili (Raila was never opposed to the SGR. Actually, he initiated the idea, want he is opposed to is the exagerated amount of money set to be used)," Weke said.
The Uhuru-Raila trip comes a year after their truce which put to rest their initial political enmity.