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An ambitious $150 million (Sh15 billion) urban passenger train connecting Nairobi suburbs to the city centre is set to be launched by June.
The project, co-financed by Kenya and Hungary, will ease traffic congestion in the city besides transferring technology to Kenyans.
President Uhuru Kenyatta welcomed the city tram project on Friday saying " development-conscious Kenyan would oppose such a programme".
He spoke on Friday during talks with Hungary Ambassador to Kenya Eduard Laszlo Mathe, who had paid him a courtesy call at State House, Nairobi.
The President said phase one of the project will connect the Standard Gauge Railway end point in Nairobi to the railway station in the city centre.
Other branches will connect the suburbs with the station. The proposed branches of the train project will include Thika Road, Ngong Road, Ongata Rongai and Limuru Road, all connecting to the city centre
The President directed the Transport ministry to ensure the project is completed on schedule.
He explained that Hungarian engineers will train their Kenyan counterparts to make materials and transfer the skills to manage the project.
The Hungarian ambassador said the proposed tram service will transform the way people in the capital city get to work.
“It is expected to transport about 300,000 passengers a day and even more when all the branches are fully operational,” he said.
“In line with Hungary’s new foreign policy for Africa to reinforce economic relations, we will train and equip Kenyans with skills to develop the project and own it. This project will be made in Kenya,."
The envoy disclosed that his country has implemented a similar project in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
On education, the ambassador pointed out that his country will provide Kenya with 50 postgraduate scholarships.
Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia and senior officials of the ministry were at the meeting.
Ethiopian tram