The new 471 km Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge railway line in Kenya is set to be extended by 120 km to Naivasha; this is according to a report from State House, Nairobi.
The Chinese contractor (China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC)) has been given the go ahead to carry out all the construction works in the extension project that will see the special industrial zones in Naivasha linked to Nairobi and Mombasa.
The extension plans were revealed during a meeting between President Uhuru Kenyatta, some Cabinet members and the officials of China Roads and Bridge Corporation at Voi.
“We must do everything in our power to ensure that the standard gauge railway is delivered on time and on budget,” There must be no laxity in terms of delivering what is one of our most transformational projects,” said President Kenyatta.
The government has decided on this initiative so as to attract new investors to put up industrial complexes in areas surrounding the Olkaria geothermal power plants that has seen the country generate up to 150MW of electric energy.
90 per cent of the standard gauge railway is being financed by the Chinese Export-Import Bank.
The preliminary stage of the SGR from Mombasa to Nairobi is being built by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) and is anticipated to be complete by 2017.
