Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are actively collaborating to expedite the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) sections connecting the five countries. This joint effort aims to facilitate smoother trade and business operations within the region.
Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen met with his counterparts from the partner nations at a Joint Ministerial Committee meeting in Mombasa on Friday. The meeting focused on reviewing progress made on the SGR project, which is part of the broader Northern Corridor Integration Projects (NCIP).
During a joint press briefing, Murkomen and his counterparts, Jimmy Gasore (Rwanda) and Fred Byamukama (Uganda), announced that Kenya and Uganda have already completed the harmonization of technical specifications and standards for the SGR.
Murkomen revealed Kenya’s plan to leverage private sector involvement for resource mobilization to extend the SGR project from Naivasha to Malaba. He further stated that a feasibility study estimates the project’s cost, including Kisumu Port improvements, at $5.3 billion, which he considers a reasonable figure.
“We don’t want it to remain just a corridor for transportation of cargo. We want to also make it an economic corridor where various investments can be established. We know a transport corridor can trigger other businesses and we want our people to benefit from these businesses,” the CS reckoned.
Uganda is nearing the finish line in contract negotiations with Yapi Merkezi, the chosen contractor for the SGR project. The signing is expected to be finalized by the end of May 2024. Additionally, the participating ministers have agreed to collaborate on resource mobilization to expedite the project’s launch and completion.
“We have also agreed we need to source funds jointly because these railway lines don’t stop in one country,” said Byamukama, the Chairperson of the Joint Ministerial Committee, adding that once they source funds jointly and even sometimes when they use one contractor work always move on very smoothly.
“For example in Uganda, as far as in rehabilitating the metre gauge railway, we have used China Roads and Bridges Corporation (CRBC) which was introduced to us by the Kenya counterparts for the good work they did,” he explained. Once the project is completed, goods from Mombasa to the Ugandan border with DRC, to Rwanda and South Sudan will be ferried by rail.
