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Kenya’s Embattled SGR Suffers Major Setback as Burundi, DRC Opt for Tanzania Route to Port of Dar es Salaam

by Eric Olander

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta’s longheld dream of extending his $4.9 billion Chinese-financed Standard Gauge Railway across East Africa suffered a major setback this week as both Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo both opted to go with Tanzania’s SGR for direct access to the port in Dar es Salaam. 

Tanzania is on roll here because this latest deal complements an agreement signed last year with Rwanda for a 575 kilometer SGR line that will connect Isaka, a railway hub in northwest Tanzania, with Kigali.

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