Many Kenyans were excited about plans to build a modern railway across the country linking the port city of Mombasa and Malaba town on the Kenya-Uganda border. It was touted as a game-changer; the key to unlocking not just Kenya’s economic takeoff, but that of the entire East African region. It was supposed to reduce travel times by half, boost trade and economic activity in Kenya, create millions of jobs and improve the people’s standards of living. Ten years later, only half of the project is complete with no funds for the remaining phase of the project: Its economic viability is in doubt as China demands payment for the debt incurred by the project.

In fact, many Kenyans are blaming the SGR project for the current economic woes bedeviling the country. It almost feels that the entire SGR project was a bad dream that we need to wake up from.