More urban areas and towns in Kenya will be connected to the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) under the new deal to extend the modern railway line to the border with Uganda, according to Deputy President Kithure Kindiki.
According to the plan, the SGR, for which President William Ruto signed a deal for its extension funding, will go through the cities of Nakuru and Eldoret to the towns of Baringo and Malaba for the first phase, which will be referred to as 2B, and Narok, Bomet, Nyamira, Kisumu, and Malaba for the 2C.
Kindiki confirmed the developments while speaking during a church service at Marani Catholic Church in Kisii on Sunday evening.
''The railway that the President secured funds for its construction there will be in two phases, that is, 2B and 2C. SGR 2B will go through Nakuru, Baringo, Eldoret, and Malaba. The 2C will go through Narok, Bomet, Nyamira, Kisumu, and Malaba," Kindiki revealed.
According to Kindiki, aside from the SGR, the government will also embark on the expansion of the Nairobi-Nakuru-Mau Summit-Malaba highway.
This is after Kenya signed a deal with the Chinese government for the extension of the major highway, following an extensive engagement between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Ruto during the latter's 4-day state visit to China.
The extension of the SGR and the highway, according to Kindiki, will open up the economic potential of the listed areas.
Additionally, he said that the government was also keen on reducing the high road carnage rates that are common in the western part of the country due to the poor nature of roads and reckless driving.
This comes after the government on Thursday agreed with China on the extension of the second phase of the Standard Gauge Railway from Nairobi to Naivasha and from Naivasha to Malaba.
"This cooperation cements Kenya's role as a key Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and regional logistics partner, while integrating East Africa's transportation network and enhancing intra-regional trade," Hussein Mohamed, the State House Spokesperson, confirmed.
Meanwhile, Ruto's agreement with China for the dualing of the Nairobi-Nakuru-Mau Summit-Malaba highway came barely a fortnight after Kenya cancelled a Ksh190 billion (€1.3 billion) deal with a French company that had been hired to construct the road.
Kenya's decision to end the contract with the French firm followed the government’s decision to revisit the contract after concerns from the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) officials.
The concerns prompted KeNHA to issue a notice of termination of the deal, ending the Public-Private Partnership (PPP), which could have seen the government shoulder more expenses in the construction of the highway.
