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SGR extension boon for cargo and passengers

Editorial logo Nation.Africa

By  Editorial

There is no doubt that the construction and launch of the standard gauge railway (SGR) eight years ago has revolutionised passenger and cargo transportation between Nairobi and Mombasa. It slashed the travel time to just about four hours from more than 10 hours by road.

The extension of the same comfort and convenience to the western region has remained a dream that may soon be realised. A Kenya Railways Corporation plan shows that the new SGR project will include the construction of the railway from Narok to Kisumu with modifications at the Lake Victoria port. It will be linked to Uganda’s SGR, which is already being built from the border town of Malaba

The 480-kilometre Nairobi-Mombasa railway built at a cost of Sh360 billion has been lauded as one of the world’s best infrastructure projects. This is, of course, the first major railway built since independence six decades ago, which was made possible with Chinese loans. At its launch in 2014, the SGR was one of the country’s most expensive infrastructure projects.

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 According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, the SGR service has ferried 7.78 million passengers between the two cities since its inception in June 2017. It was envisaged as a means to ease cargo transportation and reduce the use of trucks to curb traffic jams and road accidents.

The good news now is that a consortium of Chinese firms will build and charge a toll on the SGR from Naivasha to Malaba. National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi says 30 per cent of the new SGR loans will be sourced externally while another 30 per cent or Sh45 billion annually will be provided for by the government. The Chinese will provide the remaining 40 per cent of the loan to be recouped through the toll for the use of the railway.

To be of great benefit to Kenyans, the government should ensure that the toll to be levied for passenger and cargo transportation is reasonable.