47 pupils representing all the counties in Kenya will on Wednesday, May 31st, join President Uhuru Kenyatta on the maiden Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) train ride.
The pupils drawn from 47 schools are set to join the President, First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, Diplomats and other Kenyans in making the train ride from Mombasa to Nairobi.
According to State House, the pupils are expected in Mombasa on Monday evening ahead of the pioneering train ride with the president on Wednesday.
The pupils, who will make the historic journey and share the first experience with President Kenyatta, were reportedly drawn from PURES (Pupils Reward Scheme) –a mentorship programme under the Presidency.
They were picked by their respective school communities and grouped under PURES after being selected on the criteria of talent, leadership and performance.
The PURES programme was launched by President Kenyatta and the First Lady in early 2015 to benefit the best performing and talented pupils from schools across the country.
“Besides mentoring the pupils over the need for hard work and choosing their careers wisely, the programme nurtures the characteristics of leadership and giving them an opportunity to share experiences on such national issues as integration and ethnic harmony in diversity,” read the presser in part.
According to State House Spokesperson Manoah Esipisu, the financiers of the project, China, would be sending a delegation to the same event comprising members of its State Council who will include two ministers and a vice-minister for the launch.
The Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development is yet to disclose how much it would cost passengers to travel between Nairobi and Mombasa aboard the SGR train.
Read Also: Kenyan Man Caught Stealing Standard Gauge Railway Material
