Kenya unveils first new railway in a century

This file photo taken on January 11, 2017 shows a man waving a red flag during the launch of the first batch of Standard Gauge Railway freight locomotives at Mombasa Port, Kenya.

NAIROBI: More than a century after a colonial railway gave birth to modern Kenya, the country is betting on a new Chinese-built route to cement its position as the gateway to East Africa.

The $3.2 billion (Dh11.75 billion) railway linking Nairobi with the port city of Mombasa will Wednesday take its first passengers on the 472 kilometre journey, allowing them to skip a hair-raising drive on one of Kenya’s most dangerous highways.

The railway is the country’s biggest infrastructure project since independence, and while it has courted controversy, it is a key selling point for the ruling Jubilee party ahead of August elections.

It is also part of a “master plan” by east African leaders to connect their nations by rail, with the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) planned to eventually link Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, Burundi and Ethiopia.

“There is no country which has ever developed without having a very robust railway system. It was long overdue,” Kenya’s Transport Minister James Macharia told AFP.

He said not upgrading the railway in over 100 years “has dragged us backwards in terms of development.”

It was on May 30, 1896, that colonial Britain began building a railway from what is today Kenya’s coast to improve access to the riches of Uganda, showing little interest in the wild land in between.

The railway, steeped in tales of swashbuckling colonial adventure and beloved by tourists up until its last, creaking journey in April, is credited with shaping Kenya into its current form.

The capital Nairobi, today a regional hub, was a swampy outpost with no particular attraction until it became the headquarters of Kenya Railways.

The construction of the railway is the stuff of legend, with British and Indian workers terrorised by a pair of lions said to have devoured some 135 men.

The train was later dubbed the ‘Lunatic Express’.

Some see a touch of folly in its successor too.

Accusations

Inasmuch as the old line traced the development of colonial Kenya, the new railway has proven a mirror for modern Kenya: dogged by corruption accusations, battling environmental concerns while trying to position itself as the gateway to east Africa.

The World Bank, and others, warned that building a new railway, instead of refurbishing the old one, was by far the most expensive option.

However, the government went ahead with the project, skipping an open tender to make a direct deal with China — whose Export? Import Bank has loaned Kenya 90 per cent of the venture’s cost.

“We should ask: ‘Why did you negotiate this badly’?” said Kwame Owino, head of the Nairobi-based Institute of Economic Affairs.

He points to similar Chinese-built railways in Ethiopia, Tanzania and elsewhere on the continent which cost much less per kilometre.

Macharia dismisses this argument, saying Kenya’s SGR could carry more cargo, and passes through trickier terrain.

He said the government expects the railway to boost GDP by 1.5 per cent, allowing them to pay back the loan “in about four years”.

“I think that is a little bit of wishful thinking,” said Owino, questioning assumptions about the volume of cargo available to be carried, while warning high growth rates in east Africa were beginning to moderate.

White elephant

He said the government, whose debt has doubled in three years, would be forced to raise taxes to cover the bill.

“My feeling as an economist is that it is going to be a white elephant, but as a taxpayer I hope not,” said Owino.

Trucks currently take two days to carry goods from Mombasa to Nairobi, while the train will take eight hours. Passenger trains will take around five hours.

The railway will be managed by the Chinese contractor for five years, with 610 Chinese workers in charge, while Kenyans are trained to take over.

The railway has also concerned environmentalists, as it cuts through a key wildlife migration route.

Ben Okita of Save The Elephants said that while underpasses have been built to allow elephants to cross, the creation of an embankment and fencing around the new railway was creating deadly confusion.

Previously one or two elephants were killed annually, but since 2016, 10 elephants have been hit on the old route.

“They are used to crossing the old line and then they get to the new railway line and they find the fence and they get confused, in the process they are hit by a train,” Okita said.

The next leg of the SGR, to connect Nairobi with the Rift Valley town of Naivasha at a cost of $1.5 billion has also caused a furore as it will cut through the capital’s iconic national park.

The government is currently negotiating the financing to link Naivasha to Kisumu near the Ugandan border, which Macharia says is expected to cost another $3.5 billion.

Kenya unveils first new railway in a century

This file photo taken on January 11, 2017 shows a man waving a red flag during the launch of the first batch of Standard Gauge Railway freight locomotives at Mombasa Port, Kenya.

NAIROBI: More than a century after a colonial railway gave birth to modern Kenya, the country is betting on a new Chinese-built route to cement its position as the gateway to East Africa.

The $3.2 billion (Dh11.75 billion) railway linking Nairobi with the port city of Mombasa will Wednesday take its first passengers on the 472 kilometre journey, allowing them to skip a hair-raising drive on one of Kenya’s most dangerous highways.

The railway is the country’s biggest infrastructure project since independence, and while it has courted controversy, it is a key selling point for the ruling Jubilee party ahead of August elections.

It is also part of a “master plan” by east African leaders to connect their nations by rail, with the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) planned to eventually link Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, Burundi and Ethiopia.

“There is no country which has ever developed without having a very robust railway system. It was long overdue,” Kenya’s Transport Minister James Macharia told AFP.

He said not upgrading the railway in over 100 years “has dragged us backwards in terms of development.”

It was on May 30, 1896, that colonial Britain began building a railway from what is today Kenya’s coast to improve access to the riches of Uganda, showing little interest in the wild land in between.

The railway, steeped in tales of swashbuckling colonial adventure and beloved by tourists up until its last, creaking journey in April, is credited with shaping Kenya into its current form.

The capital Nairobi, today a regional hub, was a swampy outpost with no particular attraction until it became the headquarters of Kenya Railways.

The construction of the railway is the stuff of legend, with British and Indian workers terrorised by a pair of lions said to have devoured some 135 men.

The train was later dubbed the ‘Lunatic Express’.

Some see a touch of folly in its successor too.

Accusations

Inasmuch as the old line traced the development of colonial Kenya, the new railway has proven a mirror for modern Kenya: dogged by corruption accusations, battling environmental concerns while trying to position itself as the gateway to east Africa.

The World Bank, and others, warned that building a new railway, instead of refurbishing the old one, was by far the most expensive option.

However, the government went ahead with the project, skipping an open tender to make a direct deal with China — whose Export? Import Bank has loaned Kenya 90 per cent of the venture’s cost.

“We should ask: ‘Why did you negotiate this badly’?” said Kwame Owino, head of the Nairobi-based Institute of Economic Affairs.

He points to similar Chinese-built railways in Ethiopia, Tanzania and elsewhere on the continent which cost much less per kilometre.

Macharia dismisses this argument, saying Kenya’s SGR could carry more cargo, and passes through trickier terrain.

He said the government expects the railway to boost GDP by 1.5 per cent, allowing them to pay back the loan “in about four years”.

“I think that is a little bit of wishful thinking,” said Owino, questioning assumptions about the volume of cargo available to be carried, while warning high growth rates in east Africa were beginning to moderate.

White elephant

He said the government, whose debt has doubled in three years, would be forced to raise taxes to cover the bill.

“My feeling as an economist is that it is going to be a white elephant, but as a taxpayer I hope not,” said Owino.

Trucks currently take two days to carry goods from Mombasa to Nairobi, while the train will take eight hours. Passenger trains will take around five hours.

The railway will be managed by the Chinese contractor for five years, with 610 Chinese workers in charge, while Kenyans are trained to take over.

The railway has also concerned environmentalists, as it cuts through a key wildlife migration route.

Ben Okita of Save The Elephants said that while underpasses have been built to allow elephants to cross, the creation of an embankment and fencing around the new railway was creating deadly confusion.

Previously one or two elephants were killed annually, but since 2016, 10 elephants have been hit on the old route.

“They are used to crossing the old line and then they get to the new railway line and they find the fence and they get confused, in the process they are hit by a train,” Okita said.

The next leg of the SGR, to connect Nairobi with the Rift Valley town of Naivasha at a cost of $1.5 billion has also caused a furore as it will cut through the capital’s iconic national park.

The government is currently negotiating the financing to link Naivasha to Kisumu near the Ugandan border, which Macharia says is expected to cost another $3.5 billion.

Kenya unveils first new railway in a century

This file photo taken on January 11, 2017 shows a man waving a red flag during the launch of the first batch of Standard Gauge Railway freight locomotives at Mombasa Port, Kenya.

NAIROBI: More than a century after a colonial railway gave birth to modern Kenya, the country is betting on a new Chinese-built route to cement its position as the gateway to East Africa.

The $3.2 billion (Dh11.75 billion) railway linking Nairobi with the port city of Mombasa will Wednesday take its first passengers on the 472 kilometre journey, allowing them to skip a hair-raising drive on one of Kenya’s most dangerous highways.

The railway is the country’s biggest infrastructure project since independence, and while it has courted controversy, it is a key selling point for the ruling Jubilee party ahead of August elections.

It is also part of a “master plan” by east African leaders to connect their nations by rail, with the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) planned to eventually link Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, Burundi and Ethiopia.

“There is no country which has ever developed without having a very robust railway system. It was long overdue,” Kenya’s Transport Minister James Macharia told AFP.

He said not upgrading the railway in over 100 years “has dragged us backwards in terms of development.”

It was on May 30, 1896, that colonial Britain began building a railway from what is today Kenya’s coast to improve access to the riches of Uganda, showing little interest in the wild land in between.

The railway, steeped in tales of swashbuckling colonial adventure and beloved by tourists up until its last, creaking journey in April, is credited with shaping Kenya into its current form.

The capital Nairobi, today a regional hub, was a swampy outpost with no particular attraction until it became the headquarters of Kenya Railways.

The construction of the railway is the stuff of legend, with British and Indian workers terrorised by a pair of lions said to have devoured some 135 men.

The train was later dubbed the ‘Lunatic Express’.

Some see a touch of folly in its successor too.

Accusations

Inasmuch as the old line traced the development of colonial Kenya, the new railway has proven a mirror for modern Kenya: dogged by corruption accusations, battling environmental concerns while trying to position itself as the gateway to east Africa.

The World Bank, and others, warned that building a new railway, instead of refurbishing the old one, was by far the most expensive option.

However, the government went ahead with the project, skipping an open tender to make a direct deal with China — whose Export? Import Bank has loaned Kenya 90 per cent of the venture’s cost.

“We should ask: ‘Why did you negotiate this badly’?” said Kwame Owino, head of the Nairobi-based Institute of Economic Affairs.

He points to similar Chinese-built railways in Ethiopia, Tanzania and elsewhere on the continent which cost much less per kilometre.

Macharia dismisses this argument, saying Kenya’s SGR could carry more cargo, and passes through trickier terrain.

He said the government expects the railway to boost GDP by 1.5 per cent, allowing them to pay back the loan “in about four years”.

“I think that is a little bit of wishful thinking,” said Owino, questioning assumptions about the volume of cargo available to be carried, while warning high growth rates in east Africa were beginning to moderate.

White elephant

He said the government, whose debt has doubled in three years, would be forced to raise taxes to cover the bill.

“My feeling as an economist is that it is going to be a white elephant, but as a taxpayer I hope not,” said Owino.

Trucks currently take two days to carry goods from Mombasa to Nairobi, while the train will take eight hours. Passenger trains will take around five hours.

The railway will be managed by the Chinese contractor for five years, with 610 Chinese workers in charge, while Kenyans are trained to take over.

The railway has also concerned environmentalists, as it cuts through a key wildlife migration route.

Ben Okita of Save The Elephants said that while underpasses have been built to allow elephants to cross, the creation of an embankment and fencing around the new railway was creating deadly confusion.

Previously one or two elephants were killed annually, but since 2016, 10 elephants have been hit on the old route.

“They are used to crossing the old line and then they get to the new railway line and they find the fence and they get confused, in the process they are hit by a train,” Okita said.

The next leg of the SGR, to connect Nairobi with the Rift Valley town of Naivasha at a cost of $1.5 billion has also caused a furore as it will cut through the capital’s iconic national park.

The government is currently negotiating the financing to link Naivasha to Kisumu near the Ugandan border, which Macharia says is expected to cost another $3.5 billion.

Kenya unveils first new railway in a century

This file photo taken on January 11, 2017 shows a man waving a red flag during the launch of the first batch of Standard Gauge Railway freight locomotives at Mombasa Port, Kenya.

NAIROBI: More than a century after a colonial railway gave birth to modern Kenya, the country is betting on a new Chinese-built route to cement its position as the gateway to East Africa.

The $3.2 billion (Dh11.75 billion) railway linking Nairobi with the port city of Mombasa will Wednesday take its first passengers on the 472 kilometre journey, allowing them to skip a hair-raising drive on one of Kenya’s most dangerous highways.

The railway is the country’s biggest infrastructure project since independence, and while it has courted controversy, it is a key selling point for the ruling Jubilee party ahead of August elections.

It is also part of a “master plan” by east African leaders to connect their nations by rail, with the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) planned to eventually link Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, Burundi and Ethiopia.

“There is no country which has ever developed without having a very robust railway system. It was long overdue,” Kenya’s Transport Minister James Macharia told AFP.

He said not upgrading the railway in over 100 years “has dragged us backwards in terms of development.”

It was on May 30, 1896, that colonial Britain began building a railway from what is today Kenya’s coast to improve access to the riches of Uganda, showing little interest in the wild land in between.

The railway, steeped in tales of swashbuckling colonial adventure and beloved by tourists up until its last, creaking journey in April, is credited with shaping Kenya into its current form.

The capital Nairobi, today a regional hub, was a swampy outpost with no particular attraction until it became the headquarters of Kenya Railways.

The construction of the railway is the stuff of legend, with British and Indian workers terrorised by a pair of lions said to have devoured some 135 men.

The train was later dubbed the ‘Lunatic Express’.

Some see a touch of folly in its successor too.

Accusations

Inasmuch as the old line traced the development of colonial Kenya, the new railway has proven a mirror for modern Kenya: dogged by corruption accusations, battling environmental concerns while trying to position itself as the gateway to east Africa.

The World Bank, and others, warned that building a new railway, instead of refurbishing the old one, was by far the most expensive option.

However, the government went ahead with the project, skipping an open tender to make a direct deal with China — whose Export? Import Bank has loaned Kenya 90 per cent of the venture’s cost.

“We should ask: ‘Why did you negotiate this badly’?” said Kwame Owino, head of the Nairobi-based Institute of Economic Affairs.

He points to similar Chinese-built railways in Ethiopia, Tanzania and elsewhere on the continent which cost much less per kilometre.

Macharia dismisses this argument, saying Kenya’s SGR could carry more cargo, and passes through trickier terrain.

He said the government expects the railway to boost GDP by 1.5 per cent, allowing them to pay back the loan “in about four years”.

“I think that is a little bit of wishful thinking,” said Owino, questioning assumptions about the volume of cargo available to be carried, while warning high growth rates in east Africa were beginning to moderate.

White elephant

He said the government, whose debt has doubled in three years, would be forced to raise taxes to cover the bill.

“My feeling as an economist is that it is going to be a white elephant, but as a taxpayer I hope not,” said Owino.

Trucks currently take two days to carry goods from Mombasa to Nairobi, while the train will take eight hours. Passenger trains will take around five hours.

The railway will be managed by the Chinese contractor for five years, with 610 Chinese workers in charge, while Kenyans are trained to take over.

The railway has also concerned environmentalists, as it cuts through a key wildlife migration route.

Ben Okita of Save The Elephants said that while underpasses have been built to allow elephants to cross, the creation of an embankment and fencing around the new railway was creating deadly confusion.

Previously one or two elephants were killed annually, but since 2016, 10 elephants have been hit on the old route.

“They are used to crossing the old line and then they get to the new railway line and they find the fence and they get confused, in the process they are hit by a train,” Okita said.

The next leg of the SGR, to connect Nairobi with the Rift Valley town of Naivasha at a cost of $1.5 billion has also caused a furore as it will cut through the capital’s iconic national park.

The government is currently negotiating the financing to link Naivasha to Kisumu near the Ugandan border, which Macharia says is expected to cost another $3.5 billion.

Kenya unveils first new railway in a century

This file photo taken on January 11, 2017 shows a man waving a red flag during the launch of the first batch of Standard Gauge Railway freight locomotives at Mombasa Port, Kenya.

NAIROBI: More than a century after a colonial railway gave birth to modern Kenya, the country is betting on a new Chinese-built route to cement its position as the gateway to East Africa.

The $3.2 billion (Dh11.75 billion) railway linking Nairobi with the port city of Mombasa will Wednesday take its first passengers on the 472 kilometre journey, allowing them to skip a hair-raising drive on one of Kenya’s most dangerous highways.

The railway is the country’s biggest infrastructure project since independence, and while it has courted controversy, it is a key selling point for the ruling Jubilee party ahead of August elections.

It is also part of a “master plan” by east African leaders to connect their nations by rail, with the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) planned to eventually link Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, Burundi and Ethiopia.

“There is no country which has ever developed without having a very robust railway system. It was long overdue,” Kenya’s Transport Minister James Macharia told AFP.

He said not upgrading the railway in over 100 years “has dragged us backwards in terms of development.”

It was on May 30, 1896, that colonial Britain began building a railway from what is today Kenya’s coast to improve access to the riches of Uganda, showing little interest in the wild land in between.

The railway, steeped in tales of swashbuckling colonial adventure and beloved by tourists up until its last, creaking journey in April, is credited with shaping Kenya into its current form.

The capital Nairobi, today a regional hub, was a swampy outpost with no particular attraction until it became the headquarters of Kenya Railways.

The construction of the railway is the stuff of legend, with British and Indian workers terrorised by a pair of lions said to have devoured some 135 men.

The train was later dubbed the ‘Lunatic Express’.

Some see a touch of folly in its successor too.

Accusations

Inasmuch as the old line traced the development of colonial Kenya, the new railway has proven a mirror for modern Kenya: dogged by corruption accusations, battling environmental concerns while trying to position itself as the gateway to east Africa.

The World Bank, and others, warned that building a new railway, instead of refurbishing the old one, was by far the most expensive option.

However, the government went ahead with the project, skipping an open tender to make a direct deal with China — whose Export? Import Bank has loaned Kenya 90 per cent of the venture’s cost.

“We should ask: ‘Why did you negotiate this badly’?” said Kwame Owino, head of the Nairobi-based Institute of Economic Affairs.

He points to similar Chinese-built railways in Ethiopia, Tanzania and elsewhere on the continent which cost much less per kilometre.

Macharia dismisses this argument, saying Kenya’s SGR could carry more cargo, and passes through trickier terrain.

He said the government expects the railway to boost GDP by 1.5 per cent, allowing them to pay back the loan “in about four years”.

“I think that is a little bit of wishful thinking,” said Owino, questioning assumptions about the volume of cargo available to be carried, while warning high growth rates in east Africa were beginning to moderate.

White elephant

He said the government, whose debt has doubled in three years, would be forced to raise taxes to cover the bill.

“My feeling as an economist is that it is going to be a white elephant, but as a taxpayer I hope not,” said Owino.

Trucks currently take two days to carry goods from Mombasa to Nairobi, while the train will take eight hours. Passenger trains will take around five hours.

The railway will be managed by the Chinese contractor for five years, with 610 Chinese workers in charge, while Kenyans are trained to take over.

The railway has also concerned environmentalists, as it cuts through a key wildlife migration route.

Ben Okita of Save The Elephants said that while underpasses have been built to allow elephants to cross, the creation of an embankment and fencing around the new railway was creating deadly confusion.

Previously one or two elephants were killed annually, but since 2016, 10 elephants have been hit on the old route.

“They are used to crossing the old line and then they get to the new railway line and they find the fence and they get confused, in the process they are hit by a train,” Okita said.

The next leg of the SGR, to connect Nairobi with the Rift Valley town of Naivasha at a cost of $1.5 billion has also caused a furore as it will cut through the capital’s iconic national park.

The government is currently negotiating the financing to link Naivasha to Kisumu near the Ugandan border, which Macharia says is expected to cost another $3.5 billion.

Kenya unveils first new railway in a century

This file photo taken on January 11, 2017 shows a man waving a red flag during the launch of the first batch of Standard Gauge Railway freight locomotives at Mombasa Port, Kenya.

NAIROBI: More than a century after a colonial railway gave birth to modern Kenya, the country is betting on a new Chinese-built route to cement its position as the gateway to East Africa.

The $3.2 billion (Dh11.75 billion) railway linking Nairobi with the port city of Mombasa will Wednesday take its first passengers on the 472 kilometre journey, allowing them to skip a hair-raising drive on one of Kenya’s most dangerous highways.

The railway is the country’s biggest infrastructure project since independence, and while it has courted controversy, it is a key selling point for the ruling Jubilee party ahead of August elections.

It is also part of a “master plan” by east African leaders to connect their nations by rail, with the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) planned to eventually link Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, Burundi and Ethiopia.

“There is no country which has ever developed without having a very robust railway system. It was long overdue,” Kenya’s Transport Minister James Macharia told AFP.

He said not upgrading the railway in over 100 years “has dragged us backwards in terms of development.”

It was on May 30, 1896, that colonial Britain began building a railway from what is today Kenya’s coast to improve access to the riches of Uganda, showing little interest in the wild land in between.

The railway, steeped in tales of swashbuckling colonial adventure and beloved by tourists up until its last, creaking journey in April, is credited with shaping Kenya into its current form.

The capital Nairobi, today a regional hub, was a swampy outpost with no particular attraction until it became the headquarters of Kenya Railways.

The construction of the railway is the stuff of legend, with British and Indian workers terrorised by a pair of lions said to have devoured some 135 men.

The train was later dubbed the ‘Lunatic Express’.

Some see a touch of folly in its successor too.

Accusations

Inasmuch as the old line traced the development of colonial Kenya, the new railway has proven a mirror for modern Kenya: dogged by corruption accusations, battling environmental concerns while trying to position itself as the gateway to east Africa.

The World Bank, and others, warned that building a new railway, instead of refurbishing the old one, was by far the most expensive option.

However, the government went ahead with the project, skipping an open tender to make a direct deal with China — whose Export? Import Bank has loaned Kenya 90 per cent of the venture’s cost.

“We should ask: ‘Why did you negotiate this badly’?” said Kwame Owino, head of the Nairobi-based Institute of Economic Affairs.

He points to similar Chinese-built railways in Ethiopia, Tanzania and elsewhere on the continent which cost much less per kilometre.

Macharia dismisses this argument, saying Kenya’s SGR could carry more cargo, and passes through trickier terrain.

He said the government expects the railway to boost GDP by 1.5 per cent, allowing them to pay back the loan “in about four years”.

“I think that is a little bit of wishful thinking,” said Owino, questioning assumptions about the volume of cargo available to be carried, while warning high growth rates in east Africa were beginning to moderate.

White elephant

He said the government, whose debt has doubled in three years, would be forced to raise taxes to cover the bill.

“My feeling as an economist is that it is going to be a white elephant, but as a taxpayer I hope not,” said Owino.

Trucks currently take two days to carry goods from Mombasa to Nairobi, while the train will take eight hours. Passenger trains will take around five hours.

The railway will be managed by the Chinese contractor for five years, with 610 Chinese workers in charge, while Kenyans are trained to take over.

The railway has also concerned environmentalists, as it cuts through a key wildlife migration route.

Ben Okita of Save The Elephants said that while underpasses have been built to allow elephants to cross, the creation of an embankment and fencing around the new railway was creating deadly confusion.

Previously one or two elephants were killed annually, but since 2016, 10 elephants have been hit on the old route.

“They are used to crossing the old line and then they get to the new railway line and they find the fence and they get confused, in the process they are hit by a train,” Okita said.

The next leg of the SGR, to connect Nairobi with the Rift Valley town of Naivasha at a cost of $1.5 billion has also caused a furore as it will cut through the capital’s iconic national park.

The government is currently negotiating the financing to link Naivasha to Kisumu near the Ugandan border, which Macharia says is expected to cost another $3.5 billion.

Kenya unveils first new railway in a century

This file photo taken on January 11, 2017 shows a man waving a red flag during the launch of the first batch of Standard Gauge Railway freight locomotives at Mombasa Port, Kenya.

NAIROBI: More than a century after a colonial railway gave birth to modern Kenya, the country is betting on a new Chinese-built route to cement its position as the gateway to East Africa.

The $3.2 billion (Dh11.75 billion) railway linking Nairobi with the port city of Mombasa will Wednesday take its first passengers on the 472 kilometre journey, allowing them to skip a hair-raising drive on one of Kenya’s most dangerous highways.

The railway is the country’s biggest infrastructure project since independence, and while it has courted controversy, it is a key selling point for the ruling Jubilee party ahead of August elections.

It is also part of a “master plan” by east African leaders to connect their nations by rail, with the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) planned to eventually link Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, Burundi and Ethiopia.

“There is no country which has ever developed without having a very robust railway system. It was long overdue,” Kenya’s Transport Minister James Macharia told AFP.

He said not upgrading the railway in over 100 years “has dragged us backwards in terms of development.”

It was on May 30, 1896, that colonial Britain began building a railway from what is today Kenya’s coast to improve access to the riches of Uganda, showing little interest in the wild land in between.

The railway, steeped in tales of swashbuckling colonial adventure and beloved by tourists up until its last, creaking journey in April, is credited with shaping Kenya into its current form.

The capital Nairobi, today a regional hub, was a swampy outpost with no particular attraction until it became the headquarters of Kenya Railways.

The construction of the railway is the stuff of legend, with British and Indian workers terrorised by a pair of lions said to have devoured some 135 men.

The train was later dubbed the ‘Lunatic Express’.

Some see a touch of folly in its successor too.

Accusations

Inasmuch as the old line traced the development of colonial Kenya, the new railway has proven a mirror for modern Kenya: dogged by corruption accusations, battling environmental concerns while trying to position itself as the gateway to east Africa.

The World Bank, and others, warned that building a new railway, instead of refurbishing the old one, was by far the most expensive option.

However, the government went ahead with the project, skipping an open tender to make a direct deal with China — whose Export? Import Bank has loaned Kenya 90 per cent of the venture’s cost.

“We should ask: ‘Why did you negotiate this badly’?” said Kwame Owino, head of the Nairobi-based Institute of Economic Affairs.

He points to similar Chinese-built railways in Ethiopia, Tanzania and elsewhere on the continent which cost much less per kilometre.

Macharia dismisses this argument, saying Kenya’s SGR could carry more cargo, and passes through trickier terrain.

He said the government expects the railway to boost GDP by 1.5 per cent, allowing them to pay back the loan “in about four years”.

“I think that is a little bit of wishful thinking,” said Owino, questioning assumptions about the volume of cargo available to be carried, while warning high growth rates in east Africa were beginning to moderate.

White elephant

He said the government, whose debt has doubled in three years, would be forced to raise taxes to cover the bill.

“My feeling as an economist is that it is going to be a white elephant, but as a taxpayer I hope not,” said Owino.

Trucks currently take two days to carry goods from Mombasa to Nairobi, while the train will take eight hours. Passenger trains will take around five hours.

The railway will be managed by the Chinese contractor for five years, with 610 Chinese workers in charge, while Kenyans are trained to take over.

The railway has also concerned environmentalists, as it cuts through a key wildlife migration route.

Ben Okita of Save The Elephants said that while underpasses have been built to allow elephants to cross, the creation of an embankment and fencing around the new railway was creating deadly confusion.

Previously one or two elephants were killed annually, but since 2016, 10 elephants have been hit on the old route.

“They are used to crossing the old line and then they get to the new railway line and they find the fence and they get confused, in the process they are hit by a train,” Okita said.

The next leg of the SGR, to connect Nairobi with the Rift Valley town of Naivasha at a cost of $1.5 billion has also caused a furore as it will cut through the capital’s iconic national park.

The government is currently negotiating the financing to link Naivasha to Kisumu near the Ugandan border, which Macharia says is expected to cost another $3.5 billion.

Kenya: Beware of Inflight Thieves Next to You

AFRICA:

By Michael Otieno

This week we mark the first anniversary of the Frequent Flyer column by revisiting one of the first topics of this column — lost luggage.

The trauma that follows the realisation that your baggage has been lost can be best understood by looking at the faces of passengers you find in the lost-and-found offices at airports.

Some of the responses you get during the follow-up process are just a knock-down; for instance, your baggage got lost on a flight from Cape Town to Nairobi and you get updates like, “Sir, you are very lucky we traced your lost bag to Manila in the Philippines, it should be here in another few days.”

Often when you follow up in a few days, you are lucky if you find the bag and they don’t tell you that it is now in Caracas, Venezuela.

I wonder why they even call those offices “Lost and Found” when the lost piece is never found, particularly if it contained valuables.

Despite technological advancements, it beats me how airlines manage to lose bags on a direct flight within one continent or geographical area.

According to SITA – which supplies airlines and airports with baggage handling IT tools like the Word Tracer System – the air transport industry has cut the rate of mishandled bags by over 50 per cent globally since 2007, saving airlines $22 billion.

SITA is working on new technology that will ensure that lost baggage is traced and returned to owners within 48 hours.

Accordingly, 70 per cent of the airlines have committed to using the new technology which should be operational this year, and will allow passengers to receive real-time updates — like that of a GPS system — regarding the whereabouts of their misdirected bags.

While travellers may take comfort from these developments, they should not relax since there is a new problem: That of inflight theft.

In May last year, a South African teacher was jailed for nine months by a Hong Kong court for stealing HK$3,500 on a Cathay Pacific flight from Johannesburg to Hong Kong. Interestingly, the offence was committed in business class even though he was an economy class passenger.

Earlier, the same court had convicted another man to 14 months in prison after he stole HK$1,500 on the pretence of retrieving cold and flu medicine from a passenger bag on a separate flight.

Late last year, Saudi Arabian Airlines crew successfully thwarted three robbery attempts aboard their flights after International Air Transport Association (IATA) issued a circular to airlines around the world of internationally organised gangs carrying out thefts during flights.

So how does one decide to comfortably steal at 35,000ft without worrying about being caught in the act?

Of the many reported incidents of onboard theft, one underlining factor is that passengers become less vigilant and take comfort in the fact that there is nowhere a thief can run to.

Banking on their observation of your activities between check-in and boarding, as you visit duty free shops and how and where you keep currency in your hand luggage etc, these onboard thieves usually have their victims marked well in advance.

According to a passenger who has been a victim, the thief had requested to be allowed to board before other passengers as he seemed to have a medical condition.

Most likely the reason for wanting to board early was to observe where his victim was going to sit and which overhead bins they would store their bags in. A common trick of the trade is that the thief will then place their bags in the same overhead bin, next to the victim’s bags.

On a flight that is more than six hours, the thieves strike after meals service, as this is the time most passengers settle in for a snooze or entertainment.

This usually provides a perfect cover for retrieving and rummaging through bags.

The unfortunate thing about inflight theft is that most victims only realise they have been robbed after reaching their destinations.

Valuables like cash, electronics and jewellery should all be stored in secure lockable bags. Unlocked bags are easy targets.

Where hand baggage is unlockable, keep the zipper side facing the inside of the baggage bin. Ladies’ handbags, which of course do not lock, are safer placed under the seat in front of yours, where you can feel it against your feet.

Remember, just because it’s a flying steel cage, that’s no reason to get reckless with your personal belongings. Always be as vigilant as you would be on ground.

Michael Otieno is an aviation consultant based in Nairobi.

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Tanzania: Online Booking Lowers Cost

AFRICA:

By Maureen Odunga

HIGH traveling expenses costs can hinder most people in the country to visit attraction sites.

Booking travel online can both decrease service fee expenses and reduce trip costs by presenting travelers with a wider variety of low cost, in-policy travel options to choose.

Thus, Jumia Travels decided to run a campaign dubbed as ‘Democratize Travel’, aimed at providing people in Tanzania and throughout the continent with the freedom to travel within and outside their destinations at affordable rates.

Jumia Country Manager for Tanzania, Ms Fatema Dharsee, said in Dar es Salaam at the weekend that the focus is to break travel barriers including lowering costs, especially for accommodation. She cited among other factors as access to right information and better quality services for everyone.

“Through the campaign, we anticipate to showcase and expose the hidden beauty of the African continent as well as provide solutions to all needs for our customers including the procedures, accommodation, food and activities,” said Ms Dharsee.

She noted that the campaign also focuses on changing the attitude that destinations in the Western world and Dubai are better than those of Africa. “Although, we are not going to limit customers choices for they can also book and pay for their flight tickets via local currency for travels across Africa,” noted the Country Manager.

Ms Dharsee however, pointed out that the campaign will also benefit customers but also hotels, by gaining visibility through the company’s website and hence promote business growth. The Manager of Hong Kong Hotel, Mr Mganja Suleiman, observed that the service has helped to market their business and boosted the coverage as the Jumia Travel website are used by customers from across Africa.

“It has eased the process of obtaining reservations for we can be able to receive bookings via my mobile phone…. I can also be able to monitor and review the nature and number of customers who regularly use the service to be able to be able to meet their needs,” he said.

The Pubic Relations Manager of Jumia Travels, Mr Geofrey Kijanga, said that the services can be obtained by visiting their website.

“Through the campaign customers can obtain discounts of up to 50 percent for hotels that exist in the website for Tanzania, a factor that will help users acquire accommodations at affordable prices of their choices,” said Mr Kijanga.

East Africa: Jumia Travel Launches Loyalty Program

Jumia Travel announced the launch of a loyalty program which will allow customers to secure an additional 10 percent to 20 percent exclusive discount on select hotels. Per a press statement, the discounts will also extend to all other listed Jumia Travel products such as flight bookings and holiday packages.…

May 17, 2017

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Tanzania: Six People Knife-Attacked in Zanzibar

AFRICA:

By Haji Mtumwa

Zanzibar — Six people including four foreigners have been seriously injured with a sharp object thought to be a knife on Sunday evening at the Lukman Mkunazi Restaurant in Unguja, Zanzibar.

Speaking to reporters today at his Mwembe Madema office, the Unguja Urban West Regional Police Commander, Mr Hassan Nassir Ali, said the incident occurred on Sunday evening.

The RPC explained the name of the suspect, who carried out the attack, was still unknown, but he was known by face. He said the attacker is thought to be aged,25, as until now he was still on the run.

According to initial police investigations, Mr Hassan Nassir Ali said the suspect arrived at the restaurant in Mkunazini and decided to stab three people were at the restaurant for dinner.

He named the injured persons as Mauget Gerarol ,66, a French national, who was injured beside her right eye; Jennifer Wolf,24, a German, who was attacked on the head and Anna Catharina Ehlgen ,20, a German, who was attacked on the head.

The RPC added that after the attacks, the suspect escaped and in a distance of 60 meters from the scene the assailant met Hassan Abdallah, 24, a resident Kiponda in Zanzibar and Canadian national Liying Liang, whom he also stabbed in the mouth and the cheek.

The RPC said further that the attacker also stabbed Sajad Hussein Muhindi, 55, a resident of Mkunazini, explaining that all the injured persons were rushed to Majestic’s Tasakhtaa Global Hospital for treatment.

He said all the victims were treated and discharged with the exception of Mauget Gerarol, who is hospitalized at the hospital for treatment.

However, the RPC said the initial police investigations revealed that the attacker was affected by drugs, adding that the investigations were still on to establish the cause of the incident.

Uganda: Tourists Robbed in Rwenzori Mountains National Park

By Enid NinsiimaKasese — Police in Kasese are investigating a case in which two German tourists were attacked and robbed of their property in Mountain Rwenzori National Park on Sunday. The Rwenzori East police public relations officer, Mr Suwed Manshur said on Tuesday said that the incident happened at 2…

April 5, 2017

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Passengers affected by British Airways IT problems eligible for compensation

Passengers traveling with British Airways faced lengthy delays over the long weekend due to global IT problems. Those affected by the incident are likely eligible for up to €600 in compensation. 

The airline was forced to ground all flights in Heathrow and Gatwick airports on Saturday after it experienced an IT system outage around the world. The disruption has continued to cause flight irregularities over the past few days.

Eve Buechner, founder and CEO of refund.me, strongly urges affected travelers to claim compensation from the airline. According to EU Regulation 261/2004, airlines are obliged to pay compensation to passengers who are delayed by more than three hours on arrival at their final destination, unless they can prove the disruption was caused by extraordinary circumstances.

“An IT failure is most likely the responsibility of the airline, and it is therefore legally required to compensate its passengers,” says Eve Buechner. “A situation like this cannot be regarded as an extraordinary circumstance beyond BA’s control.” 

Delta experienced a similar incident in August last year, when a computer failure delayed tens of thousands of passengers. Unlike British Airways, Delta is not a European carrier and therefore not bound by EU law. However, refund.me was able to successfully secure compensation for passengers whose journeys departed from EU member states.

Zimbabwe Tourism Minister Mzembi: The boy is back in town

Having been occupied with the UNWTO Secretary General Election,  Tourism and Hospitality Industry minister Walter Mzembi from Zimbabwe is set to take on his Home Affairs counterpart, Ignatius Chombo, in Cabinet on the issue of police’s heavy presence on the country’s roads, which he says is deterring tourists from visiting the country. By Fidelity Mhlanga.

A boisterous Mzembi yesterday promised that the issue would be dealt with. “The concern is about excessive presence of police,” he said.

“I am back. The boy is back in town. The issue will be dealt with.

A visitor exit survey (VES) done by the Zimbabwe National Statistical Agency (Zimstat), released in February this year, said harassment by the police constituted the highest percentage of reasons why leaving tourists would not recommend the country to potential visitors at 43,2%.

This was followed by harassment by Zimbabwe Revenue Authority officers at 14,7% and harassment by Immigration was at 8,7%.

“We will mainstream it through the Cabinet. Whatever what the survey (VES) is talking about must not be seen as an affront,” Mzembi said.

VES surveyed 38 680 foreign tourists over a 12-month period between 2015 and November 2016.

There has been a national outcry over the number of police roadblocks on the country’s roads, but the police and the Home Affairs Ministry have justified this, claiming the Zimbabwe Republic Police was ensuring safety and security.

However, critics are convinced the numerous roadblocks are a fundraising ploy by the police, an accusation the force has rejected.

Mzembi said the government, through the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, was working with various communities throughout the country on community-based tourism projects and enterprises in order to achieve inclusivity and sustainable socio-economic growth, employment creation and poverty reduction.

“Community-based tourism (CBT) are projects owned and/or managed by communities and offer services to tourists while generating wider community benefits,” he said.

Mzembi was speaking ahead of the launch of International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, whose official launch will be on Friday, with Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa as the guest of honor.

Ethiopia at tipping point as Congress mulls human rights bill

Ethiopia at tipping point as Congress mulls human rights bill

Ethiopia has been under a state of emergency decree since October 2016. That decree imposes “draconian restrictions on freedom of expression, association, and assembly that go far beyond what is permissible under international law.” There has been a significant deterioration in human rights violations in Ethiopia over the past decade. For over a decade, Reps. Christopher Smith (R-N.J.) and the late Donald Payne (D-N.J.) toiled tirelessly to pass a bill promoting democracy and human rights accountability in Ethiopia. In 2007, HR 2003, co-sponsored by 85 members, passed the House. That bill sought to promote human rights, democracy, judicial independence, press freedom and counterterrorism cooperation;

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Ailing African presidents leave nations in leadership limbo

Johannesburg: Nigeria, Angola and Zimbabwe are being left in leadership limbo as their ailing rulers spend weeks abroad seeking medical attention.

The presidents of the three African nations all wield considerable power, and their absence has stoked investor uncertainty and stirred talk about succession. The situation hasn’t been helped by their governments’ failure to disclose what’s wrong with them.

“Despite an average population age of around 17 to 19, many sub-Saharan African countries have elderly leaders in their 70s or above,” said Charles Robertson, Renaissance Capital’s London-based chief economist. “The benefit of experience can be offset when illness incapacitates elderly leaders. A healthy democracy like Nigeria now has institutions which function well when the president is ill. In less transparent countries like Angola or Zimbabwe, leadership changes can prove so unpredictable that some investors are deterred from investing at all.”

Here’s a summary of the three leaders’ medical problems and what’s likely to happen if they go:

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari

A former military ruler, Buhari, 74, took power in elections two years ago. He spent seven weeks in the UK between January and March, receiving medical care for an undisclosed ailment, and returned there earlier this month for further treatment. Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, 60, has been running the country in his absence. The prospect of Osinbajo, a Christian, serving out the remaining two years of Muslim Buhari’s term should he be unable to continue in office may stoke sectarian tension due to an unwritten agreement among the nation’s political elite to rotate the presidency between the mostly Muslim north and a predominantly Christian south. The country, which vies with Angola as Africa’s largest oil producer, is experiencing its worst economic downturn in more than two decades due to a drop in crude revenue. The economy is likely to grow just 0.8 per cent this year, after shrinking 1.5 per cent last year, according to International Monetary Fund projections. The country’s northeast, the scene of an Islamist insurgency, is also faced with the threat of famine.

Angolan President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos

Dos Santos, 74, has held power since 1979, making him Africa’s second-longest serving leader after Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. He’s spent most of this month in Spain on a private visit that Foreign Minister Georges Chikoti confirmed was taken for medical reasons, before returning to Angola on Monday. Dos Santos is due to step down after August 23 elections, and the ruling Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola has named Defence Minister Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco as its candidate to replace him. Angola’s economy stagnated last year as a result of low oil prices and the IMF projects growth of just 1.3 per cent this year.

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe

Mugabe, 93, has held power since 1980 and is the world’s oldest serving ruler. Mugabe and his aides have said he’s as “fit as a fiddle”, but he’s visibly frail and has travelled frequently to Singapore to undergo medical treatment. The ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front, or Zanu-PF, insists Mugabe will be its presidential candidate in next year’s elections. Two ruling party factions are vying for power once Mugabe goes, with one coalescing around his wife, Grace, and the other around Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a former spy chief. There’s a chance that Zanu-PF may lose power to a united opposition headed by former labour union leader Morgan Tsvangirai. Zimbabwe, which abandoned its own currency eight years ago and adopted mainly the dollar in a bid to halt hyperinflation, is contending with a shortage of cash, with banks limiting customer withdrawals. The economy is half the size it was in 2000 when a land reform programme began to redistribute white-owned commercial farms to black subsistence farmers.

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