President Uhuru to ride in first SGR wagon next week

President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to launch the multi-billion-shilling Standard Gauge Railway on May 31 in a ceremony to be graced by senior Chinese government officials.

The SGR is one of the Jubilee administration’s mega infrastructure projects, and it will form part of the Government’s campaign agenda.

State House Spokesperson Manoah Esipisu Sunday said President Kenyatta would take a ride from Mombasa to Nairobi, making stopovers to commission some of the new stations as well as address the locals.

“We expect the President will officiate at events on the container terminal at the SGR on May 30 and then will take the ride from Mombasa to Nairobi on May 31. That ride will include a number of stops along the way to commission some of the new stations as well as to address people that are resident in some of the counties that the SGR passes through,” said Mr Esipisu.

Senior delegation

The launch comes just a week after President Kenyatta secured $3.59 billion (Sh359 billion) extra funding from China’s Exim Bank for the next phase of the project that will see construction of the railway line from Naivasha to Kisumu.

President Kenyatta secured the additional funding last Monday following a meeting with Chinese President XI Jinping.

Apart from the extension, the funds will be spent on rebuilding of a modern port in Kisumu.

State House said China had been a loyal partner in the country’s “transformational agenda, particularly as relates to the development of economic physical infrastructure”.

“On that day, China, who provided the funds through loans that ensured the SGR was built, will be sending a senior delegation of the State Council, two ministers and one vice minister as the official delegation at that launch,” he said.

Meanwhile, President Kenyatta will attend the 43rd Group of Seven (G7) Summit next from May 26 to 27 in Taormina, Sicily, Italy.

Kenya, Ethiopia, Tunisia and Nigeria have been invited to represent Africa.

Value and content

“The Outreach Session, to which the President will be making a presentation, will bring value and content to future decisions of the G7 Summit on how to partner for innovation-driven growth in Africa. To this end, participants will be encouraged to engage in a positive evidence-based, frank and visionary discussion,” said Manoah.

G7 is an informal bloc of industrialised democracies - the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom - that meets annually to discuss issues such as global economic governance, international security, and energy policy.