In his State of the Nation Address, the President has said the service has transported 3.881 million tons of cargo./FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 4 – President Uhuru Kenyatta praised the Standard Gauge Railway which has so far carried more than 2 and half million Kenyans in 2018 between Nairobi and Mombasa.
“The Madaraka Express remains a story of remarkable success and national pride. It has been listed among the top 13 most magnificent railway tours for 2019,” said the President, in an apparent reference to a story posted by the Telegraph that listed the 476-kilometre ride as the 7th most memorable in the world as it snakes through two national parks.
In his State of the Nation Address, the President has said the service has transported 3.881 million tons of cargo.
Kenya Railways Corporation and the Chinese company contracted to build Phase 2A of the Nairobi-Naivasha Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) announced the second phase will be completed by May 2019.
Currently, the project is 90 percent complete despite facing challenges in some sections of the corridor due to land acquisition and compensation of Project Affected Persons.
The President maintained the ongoing and completed infrastructure projects around the country are part of the bigger plan to ease the movement of people and goods in the country.
He said the Government is working with different agencies to boost new roads to the best of standards that will address various needs often experienced when doing business in the country.
“We have seen a number of roads completed already such as the 9 Km Dongo Kundu (Mirirtini-Mwache road); 47 Km Kisumu-Kaka mega road; 38 Km Chebilat-Ikonge-Chabera road, 35 Km Oljo Orok-Dundori road; 80 Km Kamatira-Cheptongei Road in West Pokot; and 38 km Kisima-Kibirichia-Kina-Ruiri Road in Meru County.
In October 2018, Kenya launched direct flights connecting Nairobi to New York.
The direct flights were meant to link Kenya and Africa in general to the West Indian Coast and the Western hemisphere consisting of the Americas, parts of Eurasia, Russia, Oceania and Antarctica.
Kenyatta said Air Transport is on a dramatic upward trajectory in Kenya and will continue to upgrade Airports and Air-Strips across the country.
“In October 2018, Kenya was able to launch direct flights connecting Nairobi to New York. This connectivity is expected to increase the number of tourists to the country whilst opening up a large market in the United States for our export produce,” he said.
The President maintained the infrastructure developments in addition to supporting the realization of the Big Four, have opened opportunities for Big and Small Businesses and improved the livelihoods of many Kenyans.
