Cost comparison SGR Kenya vs SGR Tanzania

Cost comparison SGR Kenya vs SGR Tanzania

Naoan na karema port inaisha
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Rwandan delegation on a mission to finalise financial modalities for Isaka-Keza-Kigali SGR !

Note: PURT + 2 URT ministers + 1 Rwandan minister + 1 Tz-railways CEO!
 

Kenyan court orders state to disclose secret SGR deal​

FRIDAY MAY 13 2022​



SGR cargo train at the Nairobi terminus on April 27, 2019.

SGR cargo train at the Nairobi terminus on April 27, 2019. PHOTO | NMG


By PHILIP MUYANGA
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The High Court in Mombasa has ordered the Kenyan government to provide two activists with agreements relating to the construction of the Ksh450 billion ($3.8 billion) standard gauge railway (SGR) line project.

Justice John Mativo further issued an order declaring that failure by the Attorney-General, Transport and National Treasury Principal Secretaries to provide the information sought is a violation of the right to access to information.

Activists Khelef Khalifa and Ms Wanjiru Gikonyo sought to have all contracts, agreements and studies related to the construction and operations of the SGR made public.

They argued that keeping the documents confidential violates the law and discourages transparency in governance.

Justice Mativo ruled that public officers have a constitutional duty to make information available to Kenyans saying that any restriction on access to information from the government must have a genuine purpose and demonstrable effect of protecting a legitimate national security interest. He further said such a restriction is justified only if its effect is to protect a country's existence or its territorial integrity.

“It is clear that the respondents’ attempt to hide behind the provisions of sections 3(6) & (7) of the Official Secrets Act flies in the face of Article 35, section 29 of the Access to Information Act and falls to be rejected,” ruled Justice Mativo.

Constitutional control​

He said that if the information sought from the government is not supplied within 21 days as provided by the law, then the request is as good as refused.
“This court would be going against the letter and spirit of the Constitution if it were to be persuaded by the respondents’ argument that the petitioners failed to exhaust the statutory dispute resolution mechanism under such circumstances, it would amount to condoning an illegality,” said Justice Mativo.

He added that there are no two systems of law regulating access to information held by public bodies each operating in its own field.

“There is only one system of law regulating the right to access information shaped by the Constitution which is the supreme law and all law including the Official Secrets Act derives its force from the Constitution and is subject to constitutional control,” said Justice Mativo.

Non-disclosures​

The judge said that the failure by the respondents to provide the information sought by the two activists is a violation of Article 10 of the Constitution.

The petitioners had argued that documents related to the SGR project and its financing have never been made public despite being one of the most expensive projects done by the government.
“SGR is the largest capital-intensive infrastructure project ever constructed in the country, but despite this extraordinary expenditure of public funds, the project has been undertaken with controversy and secrecy from its inception,” they argued.

According to the petitioners, information about the project’s financing, tendering process and construction has not been released to the public.

The petitioners argued that the National Treasury began loan repayments in January 2019 to the tune of Ksh74 billion ($637m) to date and increased to Ksh111 billion ($956m) after a second loan became due in January last year.

Mr Khalifa and Ms Gikonyo argued that they were concerned that such a heavy capital intensive project with wide-ranging impact on public resources and citizens’ livelihoods was undertaken with no public participation.

Transport Principal Secretary Joseph Njoroge, in his affidavit filed in court, had said that agreements entered between the government and Chinese contractors over the construction of the SGR had non-disclosure clauses.

Dr Njoroge further said that it would be in breach of contractual terms of the agreements if the two activists are supplied with the disclosure of documents related to the construction of the SGR line project.

“Upon receipt of request for information from the petitioners, Kenya Railways Corporation explained that the contracts of the projects to which information is being requested are between the governments of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of Kenya,” said Dr Njoroge.

Dr Njoroge said that if the orders sought were granted, it would injure relations between Kenya and China and would stifle the successful implementation of the National Transport Policy.

Attorney-General Kihara Kariuki wanted the petition thrown out saying Ms Gikonyo and Khalifa had not exhausted all means of dispute resolution available.

 
The way Geza follows Kenya projects can be deduced as pure admiration coupled by jealousy tendencies. It is worth noting however that Kenya SGR is operational and continues to grow. So while comparing the two in terms of operational capabilities, wait till the Tanzania sgr is complete, then we can have a discussion grounded on statistics.
 

Tanzania-Burundi Standard Gauge (SGR) Project Updates​


January 14, 2020

Modified date: May 14, 2022
Tanzania signs deal to link SGR to Burundi and DRC

Tanzania, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have appealed to the African Development Bank (AfDB) for a soft loan of $900 million to expand the Tanzania-Burundi-DRC standard gauge railway line that connects Uvinza, Msongati and Gitega.

Finance ministers Dr Mwigulu Nchemba, Nicolas Kazadi of the DRC, and Dr Domitien Ndihokubwayo of Burundi met on the margins of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) governing board meetings.

While the specifics of the plan were not disclosed, a related plan by Tanzania and Rwanda to extend the SGR line to Kigali and then to Rubavu on the DRC border, but plans dated late 2019 show that the first phase of joint construction will extend from Kigoma to the Burundian capital of Gitega (located in central Burundi), a total stretch of 240 km.

Further extensions to eastern DRC are projected, while separate discussions for SGR extension to Rwanda (from Isaka to Kigali) were in the final stages at the time, based on confirmation from the UK weekly, The Economist.

Both nations were looking for funding for the $2.5 billion projects, which gained momentum after DRC President Felix Tshisekedi visited Dar es Salaam and gave the green signal for a feasibility assessment to be carried out to pave the way for the section to its eastern border.

At the time, the SGR extension to Rubavu was scheduled to be built from Kigali, adding to the precise design for expanding the line from Isaka to Kigali, totalling 575 kilometres. Burundi appears to be planning to expand the line from Gitega to Bujumbura in the country’s west and then to Uvira, a DRC tourist town on the northern beaches of Lake Tanganyika.

Deal Signed for Construction of 282 Kilometer Tanzania-Burundi SGR Line​

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed for the construction of a 282 kilometres long Tanzania-Burundi SGR Line that stretches from the western Tanzanian town of Uvinza to the Burundian political capital of Gitega (formerly known as Kitega).
The deal was signed particularly by the finance and transport ministers from the two East African countries in Kigoma, a city and lake port in northwestern Tanzania, on the northeastern shores of Lake Tanganyika, close to the border with Burundi and The Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Tanzania will reportedly construct a 156-kilometre section of the Tanzania-Burundi SGR Railway Line, from the small town of Malagarasi to Uvinza, while Burundi will construct a 126-kilometre stretch from Uvinza to Gitega.

Designed to reduce transportation costs, fast-track industrialization, and improve the overall regional economy upon completion, the Tanzania-Burundi SGR Line will ferry more than a million tons of cargo between the two East African countries, and help transport more than 3 million tons of minerals from Burundi to Tanzania each year.

Cost and funding for the Tanzania-Burundi SGR Railway project

According to Mwigulu Nchemba, the minister of finance in Tanzania, the Tanzania-Burundi SGR Line project is expected to cost not more than US$ 900M. He said that together with the minister of finance in Burundi, they are starting to look for areas where they can raise money to implement the project.

Noteworthy, the project is a part of Tanzania’s aim to construct approximately 2,561 kilometres of standard gauge railway lines linking its main Indian Ocean port of Dar es Salaam to eastern and southern Africa’s hinterland, in a bid to become a regional trade and transport hub.
In addition to Burundi, the rail would also establish a connection of the port to the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Rwanda, and Uganda.

Tanzania signs deal to link SGR to Burundi and DRC​

The government of Tanzania has inked a deal to link its Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) to Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The agreement which was signed between Transport ministers of the three countries Isack Kamwelwe (Tanzania), Jean Bosco (Burundi) and Roger Biasu (DRC), gives Burundi and DRC direct access to the Dar es Salaam Port, greatly boosting Tanzania’s Central Transport Corridor.
Tanzania transport minister Mr Isack Kamwelwe affirmed that the deal is in line with the completion of a preliminary feasibility study of detailed design plans which was successfully done by the consultancy company Gulf Engineering Ltd.

Standard Gauge Railway (SGR)

The rail line will start from the Uvinza district in the Kigoma region in northwestern Tanzania to Gitega, via the Msongati region, in Burundi, covering a stretch of 240km. It will then be extended to the eastern regions of DRC according to the agreement. A tender for the project will be issued this year.

Upon completion, Tanzania’s SGR line will be a 1,457 km stretch from Dar es Salaam to the shores of Lake Victoria. DRC’s President Felix Tshisekedi commended the deal and said that the extension of the SGR line to Rubavu from Kigali would open trade opportunities for the landlocked DRC which depends largely on the ports of Dar es Salaam and Mombasa to access the sea.

Tanzania will become the third country in East Africa to start enjoying modern railway services after Kenya and Ethiopia. Kenya was the first in the region to start constructing an SGR line, completing over 500km between Mombasa and Nairobi, and also inaugurating its passenger services in June 2017.


If you have a remark or more information on this post please share with us in the comments section below


Patrick M

 

Tanzania-Burundi Standard Gauge (SGR) Project Updates​


January 14, 2020

Modified date: May 14, 2022
Tanzania signs deal to link SGR to Burundi and DRC

Tanzania, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have appealed to the African Development Bank (AfDB) for a soft loan of $900 million to expand the Tanzania-Burundi-DRC standard gauge railway line that connects Uvinza, Msongati and Gitega.

Finance ministers Dr Mwigulu Nchemba, Nicolas Kazadi of the DRC, and Dr Domitien Ndihokubwayo of Burundi met on the margins of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) governing board meetings.

While the specifics of the plan were not disclosed, a related plan by Tanzania and Rwanda to extend the SGR line to Kigali and then to Rubavu on the DRC border, but plans dated late 2019 show that the first phase of joint construction will extend from Kigoma to the Burundian capital of Gitega (located in central Burundi), a total stretch of 240 km.

Further extensions to eastern DRC are projected, while separate discussions for SGR extension to Rwanda (from Isaka to Kigali) were in the final stages at the time, based on confirmation from the UK weekly, The Economist.

Both nations were looking for funding for the $2.5 billion projects, which gained momentum after DRC President Felix Tshisekedi visited Dar es Salaam and gave the green signal for a feasibility assessment to be carried out to pave the way for the section to its eastern border.

At the time, the SGR extension to Rubavu was scheduled to be built from Kigali, adding to the precise design for expanding the line from Isaka to Kigali, totalling 575 kilometres. Burundi appears to be planning to expand the line from Gitega to Bujumbura in the country’s west and then to Uvira, a DRC tourist town on the northern beaches of Lake Tanganyika.

Deal Signed for Construction of 282 Kilometer Tanzania-Burundi SGR Line​

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed for the construction of a 282 kilometres long Tanzania-Burundi SGR Line that stretches from the western Tanzanian town of Uvinza to the Burundian political capital of Gitega (formerly known as Kitega).
The deal was signed particularly by the finance and transport ministers from the two East African countries in Kigoma, a city and lake port in northwestern Tanzania, on the northeastern shores of Lake Tanganyika, close to the border with Burundi and The Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Tanzania will reportedly construct a 156-kilometre section of the Tanzania-Burundi SGR Railway Line, from the small town of Malagarasi to Uvinza, while Burundi will construct a 126-kilometre stretch from Uvinza to Gitega.

Designed to reduce transportation costs, fast-track industrialization, and improve the overall regional economy upon completion, the Tanzania-Burundi SGR Line will ferry more than a million tons of cargo between the two East African countries, and help transport more than 3 million tons of minerals from Burundi to Tanzania each year.

Cost and funding for the Tanzania-Burundi SGR Railway project

According to Mwigulu Nchemba, the minister of finance in Tanzania, the Tanzania-Burundi SGR Line project is expected to cost not more than US$ 900M. He said that together with the minister of finance in Burundi, they are starting to look for areas where they can raise money to implement the project.

Noteworthy, the project is a part of Tanzania’s aim to construct approximately 2,561 kilometres of standard gauge railway lines linking its main Indian Ocean port of Dar es Salaam to eastern and southern Africa’s hinterland, in a bid to become a regional trade and transport hub.
In addition to Burundi, the rail would also establish a connection of the port to the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Rwanda, and Uganda.

Tanzania signs deal to link SGR to Burundi and DRC​

The government of Tanzania has inked a deal to link its Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) to Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The agreement which was signed between Transport ministers of the three countries Isack Kamwelwe (Tanzania), Jean Bosco (Burundi) and Roger Biasu (DRC), gives Burundi and DRC direct access to the Dar es Salaam Port, greatly boosting Tanzania’s Central Transport Corridor.
Tanzania transport minister Mr Isack Kamwelwe affirmed that the deal is in line with the completion of a preliminary feasibility study of detailed design plans which was successfully done by the consultancy company Gulf Engineering Ltd.

Standard Gauge Railway (SGR)

The rail line will start from the Uvinza district in the Kigoma region in northwestern Tanzania to Gitega, via the Msongati region, in Burundi, covering a stretch of 240km. It will then be extended to the eastern regions of DRC according to the agreement. A tender for the project will be issued this year.

Upon completion, Tanzania’s SGR line will be a 1,457 km stretch from Dar es Salaam to the shores of Lake Victoria. DRC’s President Felix Tshisekedi commended the deal and said that the extension of the SGR line to Rubavu from Kigali would open trade opportunities for the landlocked DRC which depends largely on the ports of Dar es Salaam and Mombasa to access the sea.

Tanzania will become the third country in East Africa to start enjoying modern railway services after Kenya and Ethiopia. Kenya was the first in the region to start constructing an SGR line, completing over 500km between Mombasa and Nairobi, and also inaugurating its passenger services in June 2017.


If you have a remark or more information on this post please share with us in the comments section below


Patrick M

Seems Rwanda,is still committed to Tanzania SGR.
 
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