Addressing Regional Leaders, Ruto Reiterates Plan to Extend SGR to Uganda, Rwanda and DRC
Addressing an audience of leaders from the region during the official opening of East Africa Community (EAC) Interparliamentary Games in Mombasa on 7 December 2024, Kenyan President William Ruto reiterated plans to extend the Standard Gauge Railway (#SGR) — currently running from Mombasa to Nairobi and Naivasha — to Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
In his speech, President Ruto emphasized infrastructure development as key to #RegionalIntegration. In particular, bringing down the transportation and logistical costs will give a much needed boost to #TradeFacilitation within the East Africa region.
Currently, intra-state trade in the region stands at only 28% of the total and regional trade is expected to increase significantly once the regional rail is operationalized. The Games brought together athletes from eight countries, namely, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, DR Congo, South Sudan, and Somalia.
Uganda has already initiated its segment which will link its capital Kampala to the border town of Malaba. Earlier, the Ugandan President Museveni announced that the 272-km railway stretch is expected to be completed within four years.
On a similar note, Tanzania has similar plans originating from the seaport of Dar es Salaam. Through infrastructure building, both Kenya and Tanzania are competing to be the #Gateway to East Africa.
