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2.7km road plan to link Mombasa SGR terminus

sgr

SGR passengers train. FILE PHOTO | NMG

The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) is set to build a 2.7-kilometre road linking Magongo and Miritini via Jomvu, allowing passengers easy access to the standard gauge railway (SGR) passenger train terminus in Mombasa.

The agency's director of highway planning and design, Samuel Omer, said Monday that environmental and social impact assessment studies for the project by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) were ongoing and will take about a month.

“The access road will provide a reliable link and safe access to Mombasa SGR terminus,” Mr Omer said.

“The social impact studies entails relocation of utilities and implementation of resettlement action plans to enable works on the project to proceed.”

The project, he said, will be funded by the government as well as private financiers.

However, he didn't say when works on the new link road will start or the time it will take to complete the project.

The contract for the road is also yet to be awarded through the government has in the recent past tended to prefer to Chinese firms for infrastructure projects across the country.

Companies undertaking infrastructure projects include Sinohydro Limited, China Wu Yi and China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC).

CRBC was involved in the SGR project, which has in the past drawn criticism over the transparency of the contract.

Officials attributed the lack of public bidding for the Mombasa to Nairobi SGR line to conditions by Chinese lenders which helped fund the construction.

The line was constructed at a cost of Sh447.5 billion, including financing.

China’s biggest freight wagon manufacturer, CRRC Qiqihar, has also been contracted to service locomotives and wagons while CRBC, a State-owned Chinese company with Kenyan offices, will run the trains for 10 years.