Challenges

The volume of debt that Kenya is taking on to finance the new railway route is a major concern for many commentators, who are cautious about future extensions planned that will eventually link to other landlocked countries on the African continent such as Uganda and Rwanda. What they fail to mention is that in terms of the ratio of public debt to GDP, according to World Economic Forum statistics, Kenya ranks No.77, with a more sustainable ratio than many European countries, such as the UK and Germany. Not to mention that the IMF forecasts that Kenya will grow at 6 percent in 2017, a little slower than China and its neighbor Ethiopia, but nevertheless considerably faster than the United States and Europe as a whole. My Ugandan and Rwandan friends simply cannot wait for the new tracks to their countries to be completed.

That said, it hasn’t all been plain sailing for Kenya’s new railway and I can’t imagine that it will be a completely smooth ride going forward. There have been major disputes about the number of Kenyans that have been employed to build the railway, and the effectiveness of arrangements for quality maintenance of the railway will need to be consistently monitored. Thankfully, Kenya has a very open culture and a thriving society, so any issues will come to the fore quickly giving the government and its Chinese partners the opportunity to resolve challenges without delay.

For now, I’m excited about this new upgrade and I can’t wait to visit Kenya and join others in my debut journey along the scenic route, in comfort rather than in fear, although hopefully without the elephants! (The writer is a Kenyan-british diplomat, economist and writer)