Kenya’s SGR Scandal Isn’t Going Away

File image of Kenya's Standard Gauge Railway that China financed and built as part of the Belt and Road Initiative. Simon Mania/AFP

This week saw the announcement that the United Kingdom’s international development investment arm, the CDC Group, will invest $1 billion in Kenyan infrastructure. This will include funding a new rail transit hub in Nairobi.

It’s interesting that the UK is leaning into Kenyan rail investment at a moment when discussions around Chinese rail funding in Kenya is so inflamed. The Kenyan government has refused to release the contracts for the Standard Gauge Railway following a freedom of information request and a court petition by activists.

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by Cobus van Staden

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