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President Kenyatta (centre)
launched the railway in Mombasa
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Kenya has formally launched a new,
Chinese-financed railway which should extend across East Africa to reach South
Sudan, DR Congo and Burundi.
The first section will link the Kenyan
port of Mombasa to the capital, Nairobi, reducing the journey time from 15 hours
to about four.
It is said to be the country's biggest
infrastructure project since independence 50 years ago.
The cost of the railway will be $5.2bn
(£3.2bn) - mostly funded by China.
Some Kenyans have complained that the
contract was given to the Chinese state-owned China Road and Bridge Corporation
(CRBC) without going to tender.
'Historic
milestone'
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and his
Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed the deal in August in Beijing.
It is also hoped that the railway will
reduce congestion in Mombasa, one of Africa's busiest ports.
The current railway network dates back
to the colonial era.
After the Nairobi section is finished,
with completion due in 2017, it will be extended through Uganda, with branch
lines west to Kisangani in the Democratic Republic of Congo, south through
Rwanda to Burundi and north to South Sudan.
Passenger trains will travel at a top
speed of 120 km/h (75 mph), while freight trains will have a maximum speed of
80 km/h.
"What we are doing here today will
most definitely transform... not only Kenya but the whole eastern African
region," President Kenyatta told crowds at the ceremony, calling it an
"historic milestone", the AFP news agency reports.
"As a result East Africa will
become a competitive investment destination," the agency quoted him as
saying.
Earlier, he said the railway was one of
the flagship projects of his government's ambitious Vision 2030 initiative to
improve much-neglected infrastructure.
"The project will define my legacy
as president of Kenya and it is my personal desire that the implementation is
done to the standard," he said in a statement on Wednesday after meeting
CRBC officials.
He also thanked the Chinese government
for the "massive infrastructural projects in the country", which
"reduced the cost of doing business and created employment through
increased investments".
Kenya would be working closely with
Uganda and Rwanda during the first phase, which would boost ties between the
neighbours, he added.
"Kenya will fully meet its
obligations towards the project. I will personally oversee its
implementation," Mr Kenyatta said.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/
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