Fast-track rail project, presidents say

From left: President Yoweri Museveni (Uganda), President Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya) and President Paul Kagame (Rwanda), at the 11th summit of Northern Corridor Integration Projects at Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi, on October 17, 2015. They have directed their finance ministers to jointly visit Chinese Exim Bank to finalise the financing of the Mombasa-Kampala-Kigali-Juba railway project. PHOTO | ANTHONY OMUYA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Other than the railway, other projects the countries are executing jointly are a trunk road from Mombasa to Malaba, pipelines for refined and crude oil, and a cross-border power system among others.
  • President Kenyatta said governments need to forge closer partnerships with regional and international investors to bridge financing gaps in infrastructure development.
  • In their joint communique, they ordered transport ministers to investigate why a decision by the bloc to streamline the pricing of air travel within member states was reversed.

The three East African presidents of Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda have directed their finance ministers to jointly visit Chinese Exim Bank to finalise the financing of the Mombasa-Kampala-Kigali-Juba railway project.

They also directed the ministers to analyse the cheaper option between a diesel powered and an electricity powered railway system.

The leaders’ meeting marked the 11th Summit of the Northern Corridor Integration Projects, a two-year-old bloc formed by Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Southern Sudan to initiate various types of infrastructural development.

Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni and Paul Kagame met on Saturday at Nairobi’s Safari Park Hotel.

They were joined in the meeting by Mr Aggrey Sabuni, a South Sudan presidential adviser who was representing President Salva Kiir.  

Other than the railway, other projects the countries are executing jointly are a trunk road from Mombasa to Malaba, pipelines for refined and crude oil, and a cross-border power system among others.

The summit announced that the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will be joining the bloc. A joint communique from the meeting said that DRC is interested in the standard gauge railway project.

“The Democratic Republic of Congo announced the decision to join the Northern Corridor Integration Projects as a full member during the next summit,” read the statement.

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Representatives from Burundi, Ethiopia and DRC took part in the meeting as delegates.

Tanzania was represented by its High Commissioner to Kenya, Mr John Haule.

President Kenyatta, speaking when he opened Saturday’s proceedings, said governments need to forge closer partnerships with regional and international investors to bridge financing gaps in infrastructure development.

He asked companies in the region to form consortiums to increase their financial muscle to enable them compete with multinational corporations when bidding for mega projects.

“It is my desire to see local companies bidding for mega projects in this region and delivering on time, and the best quality,” said Mr Kenyatta.

Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed told the gathering that in the bloc’s two years of existence, there has been simplification of the clearance procedures at the Mombasa port.

She said that it now takes two days to clear cargo from the port, down from seven. Dr Mohammed added that the cooperation has seen easier movement of people within member states.

However, the Heads of State took issue with a simmering crisis in its efforts to ensure a unified air transport system.

In their joint communique, they ordered transport ministers to investigate why a decision by the bloc to streamline the pricing of air travel within member states was reversed.

“The summit noted that after the directive, a temporary reduction in air tickets for one destination was realised but has since been reversed with the fares sky-rocketing,” they said.