On Tuesday, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta flagged off the Nairobi-Naivasha Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) freight service. A cargo train snaked along the platform at the Nairobi SGR terminus, in readiness for a 120 kilometers journey to the resort town of Naivasha.
President Kenyatta saw the SGR phase 2A freight service kick off its maiden journey to Naivasha's Inland Container Depot (ICD). He said it added luster to Kenya's reputation of a regional transportation and logistics hub: "Today, we mark the commencement of the freight train services to Naivasha ICD, thus making an unequivocal statement that we as a people are ready to ascend.”
He said the Nairobi-Naivasha SGR freight service, that is part of the proposed Mombasa-Nairobi-Kisumu/Malaba SGR project, will open Kenyan hinterland, stimulate growth and boost regional integration.
Chinese State Councilor and special envoy of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Wang Yong, was among dignitaries who graced the ceremony to commission phase 2A of SGR cargo service and Naivasha's Inland Container Deport amid fanfare. He said the launch of freight services along the Nairobi-Naivasha SGR corridor marked a critical milestone in railway development in Kenya and the African continent as envisioned in China's proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
