A section of the SGR from Mombasa to Nairobi. Photo/citizentv.co.ke
Construction of the Standard Guage Railway phase two kicks off in the next two weeks.
The process, which had been put on a halt after the National Environment Tribunal ordered the contractor to suspend all activities on the project will commence after the tribunal rules over an appeal brought before it by activist Okiya Omtatah and the Kenya Coalition for Wildlife Conservation.
That is, if the ruling will be made in favour of the government.
Activist Okiya Omtatah and the Kenya Coalition for Wildlife Conservation appealed for the decision by National Environment Management Authority to issue an environmental impact assessment licence on January 10.
According to the appellant, the assessment was conducted in haste, without stakeholder’s involvement and in total disregard of procedural and legal requirements as provided by the law.
Transport CS James Macharia is confident of a favourable ruling by the tribunal.
He said: “Land has been acquired and we expect that upon disposal of the case, the process will be fast tracked”.
The state will be embarking on a 120 km SGR line between Nairobi and Naivasha at a cost of Sh150 billion. The project is financed by the Exim Bank of China and the Government of Kenya.
After the Nairobi-Naivasha Phase the state will be starting phase 2B which connects Naivasha, Narok, Bomet, Nyamira and Kisumu.
It is during this phase that a new high capacity port at Lake Victoria, Kisumu will be built.
Completion of the phase two of the SGR project will see Kisumu and Malaba connected through Yala and Mumias.