Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) is set to turn one year in June.
Ahead of this milestone, a team of 30 Kenya Railway police officers are scheduled to travel to China, where they will undertake a one-month training on improvement of standards and maintenance – for the SGR.
The officers are in charge of operationalization of the passenger and cargo services.
The training will – among others – focus on curbing crime along the line.
It will also grant the officers a chance to learn about China’s national railway conditions and history.
Kenya’s SGR, which is also a first in the region, was constructed through partnership with China.
The Kenya – China partnership is aimed at integrating human resources with economic development.
President Uhuru Kenyatta launched the first phase of the SGR in May 2017, a move that in a big way eased movement of people and goods between the coastal city of Mombasa and the capital Nairobi.
Ultimately, the rail is expected to go beyond Kenya’s borders into Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.
The Mombasa-Nairobi phase of the project was built at cost of US$3.8bn, with China Exim Bank providing 90% of the financing while the remaining 10% was contributed by the Kenyan Government.
Initially, passengers spent more than 10 hours travelling between the two cities. After the SGR trains began operations, that time was shortened to about 4 – 5 hours.
