President Uhuru Kenyatta flagging off SGR cargo train.[Photo/PSCU]

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President Uhuru Kenyatta has emphasized that all the investment made in transport, in logistics and in infrastructure is geared towards growing the economy and creating rewarding jobs for Kenyans, saying transport and infrastructure are vital for every item of the big four pillars of his second term agenda.

President Kenyatta’s big four pillars of development priorities are: improving the quality of life through the provision of universal health care, increasing access to affordable housing and ensuring food and nutritional security.  They also include enhancing job creation and opportunities for young people by focusing on the expansion of the manufacturing sector.

From a regional perspective, President Kenyatta said the SGR freight train will reduce the cost of doing business across the East African region.

“For instance, it currently costs $1,200 to ship a 20-tonne container from Japan to the Port of Mombasa.  Yet it costs $2,500 to move a similar container to Kampala and as much as $4,500 to Kigali.  With the SGR we can expect to cut costs significantly,” President Kenyatta said.

He thanked the Government of the People’s Republic of China for supporting the inland container depot project and other transformative projects.

Other speakers included Transport and Infrastructure CS James Macharia and Kenya Ports Authority Chairman Marsden Madoka.