Kamau said both governments have asked the RVR to make serious investment in the infrastructure and cargo handling of the railway as required in the concession.
“Cargo at the Mombasa port jetting in from other countries has been on the increase, now it’s about 23 million tonnes and is expected to grow at a rate of 10 percent ,” he said.
He said the both governments have decided to monitor the performance of the concession on a monthly basis to make sure the concession is adhered to.
“We will be holding talks with RVR with a view of improving services,” Kamau said.
The Kenya-Uganda Railway Concession agreement sealed between Kenya and Uganda governments commits the concessionaire (RVR) to provide freight service for a period of 25 years and passenger services, in Kenya only, for five years.
Under this agreement, both the Kenya and Uganda governments still own the railway infrastructure and facilities while RVR operates trains and maintains the infrastructure.
The key objective of RVR is to improve the Management, Operation and Financial performance of the two railway networks in a coordinated manner.
The other objectives of the concession are to standardize infrastructure maintenance and operations, Increase market share for the railways in freight traffic by providing reliable service to customers, Foster regional economic integration and growth Improve the competitiveness of the Northern Corridor and the port of Mombasa.