Kenya inks deal to extend SGR to Ethiopia
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Kenya holds bilateral talks with Ethiopia to extend Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) to the country to fast-track the development of the LAPSSET Corridor
Kenya holds bilateral talks with Ethiopia to extend Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) to the country to fast-track the development of the LAPSSET Corridor.
On Friday, August 11, Kipchumba Murkomen, the cabinet secretary for transportation announced that Kenya had signed a deal to connect the Standard Gauge Railway with Ethiopia
Murkomen, who made the announcement after holding bilateral talks with his Ethiopian counterpart, Alemu Sime, stated that the SGR would extend from Lamu to Moyale via Isiolo to Addis Ababa.
“We further agreed to establish a Bilateral Steering Committee comprising officials from Kenya and Ethiopia to fast-track the development of the LAPSSET Corridor and its supporting infrastructure,” Murkomen announced.
The Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor Programme, which aims to link the nation to partner states of Ethiopia and South Sudan, was also agreed upon by the two nations.
The long-term objectives of the project, according to Murkomen, included building a land bridge connecting Africa’s east and west coasts.
“I apprised the Ethiopian delegation of President William Ruto’s commitment, as the current champion of the LAPSSET project under the AU Presidential Infrastructure Championship Initiative, to prioritize the development of the Corridor, full port equipment, the operationalization of the first three berths of the Lamu Port and the development of Lamu Special Economic Zone along the Corridor,” he stated.
“The President also plans to fast-track the upgrading of the Lamu-Garissa-Isiolo road of the LAPSSET Highway to Bitumen standard which will see a completely tarmacked road link the Port of Lamu to Ethiopia. The upgrading of the Lamu-Ijara-Garissa to Isiolo is ongoing,” the former Elgeyo Marakwet Senator added.
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Kenya and Ethiopia are yet to disclose the exact cost of the extension within their territory.
The China Road and Bridge Corporation built the SGR, which links Nairobi and Mombasa, and former president Uhuru Kenyatta unveiled it in 2017.
Between Mombasa and Nairobi, the first segment of the railroad opened to passengers in June 2017, and to freight trains in January 2018.
Other sections, like as the one connecting Naivasha to the Ugandan road between Malaba and Kampala, are being built.
The arrangement, according to the administration, will increase trade between the two nations.
“Uganda has committed to ensuring that SGR is extended to the border with Rwanda, South Sudan, and DRC Congo as soon as possible to improve further the viability and attractiveness of the financing of the SGR along the Northern Corridor,” CS Murkomen stated on July 28, 2023.
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