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East African nations collaborate for transformative railway project
Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Sudan have joined the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) Cluster Joint Ministerial Committee toward a transformative railway project along the Northern Corridor.
These countries in a united effort to seek crucial funding for the expansion of the modern rail infrastructure joined Kenya and Uganda on the mission to secure funding for the project to enhance regional connectivity, the East African reported.
Despite the progress made on the joint Kenya-Uganda railway venture, financial constraints have remained a persistent challenge, as the current railway line terminates in Naivasha, situated in Kenya's Central Rift region.
Uganda’s Minister of Works and Transport Fred Byamukama commenting on the proposed contractor for the project and financing said “It was a challenge to do the project piecemeal, we cannot have SGR in Malaba to Kampala if Naivasha-Malaba is not complete. That is why we are seeking funds to ensure the sections are done simultaneously.”
According to Kipchumba Murkomen, the Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Roads and Transport, the inclusion of additional countries in the railway cluster will boost the bargaining power of Kampala and Nairobi when engaging with potential donors.
“Kenya and Uganda have completed harmonization of the technical specifications and standards. Rwanda hopes to join the framework between Uganda and Yapi Merkezi, to update of feasibility study of Mirama Hills-Kigali section, which will make the project more viable,” said Murkomen.
Meanwhile, EAC member states have affirmed their commitment to mobilise resources by engaging with development partners. The primary objective is to secure the necessary funding required to extend the railway from its current endpoint in Naivasha to the Kenyan border town of Malaba, onward to Uganda's capital, Kampala, and further into Rwanda and South Sudan.
