The BRICS group wrapped up its two-day leaders’ summit in Rio de Janeiro on Monday. The summit’s final communique is a 16,000-word doorstop that covers numerous issues from economics to education.
The communique avoids any direct mention of the United States, and references to “unilateralism” and other coded criticism are also relatively scarce. Rather, the communique keeps the focus on the BRICS’ vision of the strengthening and reform of the global multilateral system ...
Category: Standard Gauge Railway
Kenya’s FM Pushes China for Fast Approval of Financial Assistance Package
Kenya's top diplomat, Musalia Mudavadi, hoped that his visit to China this week would prompt Beijing to speed up approval of a large financial package that his government is counting on to build new roads and extend the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) to the Ugandan border.
New Deal Revives Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway
Kenya’s dream of expanding its Chinese-built Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) to the Ugandan border could be coming to fruition. A funding deal for the third phase of the railway project was announced following a trip to China by the country’s Finance Minister John Mbadi.
China Touts Success of Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway But Leaves Out One Very Important Detail
Chinese state media is touting the enormous success of the Beijing-backed Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) in Kenya, which serves as a showcase for the Belt and Road Initiative. The official Xinhua published a report last week that was full of numbers that demonstrate the railway's achievements since it ...
China to Hand Over Full Control of Kenya Railway at the End of the Year
The Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) will take full operating control of the Standard Gauge Railway in December 2025, six months past the original deadline, from a Chinese state-owned firm that currently runs the line. It was always part of the plan ...
Sliding Currency Push Up Kenyan Payments for Chinese Railway
Kenyan tax payers will have to cough up $87 million more for a January repayment of a loan for the Chinese-built Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) because of a depreciation on the value of the Kenyan shilling. According to the World Bank,
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Kenya Wildly Overpaid for Chinese-Built Railway: Politician
As increased debt payments eat into Kenya’s budget, the business executive and 2022 presidential contender Jimi Wanjigi alleges that the country overpaid by more than 100% for the Standard Gauge Railway. The controversial project, built by China Road and Bridge Corporation, has ...
Xi Meets with Kenyan, UN, Nigerian Leaders
Chinese President Xi Jinping had another flurry of high-level meetings on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum on Wednesday. During his meeting with Kenyan President William Ruto, Xi pledged further support for investment in Kenya, as well as cooperation in ...
Kenya’s President Appeals to Chinese Investors to Finance Railway Extension to Ugandan Border
Kenyan President William Ruto issued a direct appeal to Chinese investors to finance the extension of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) to the Ugandan border. The president explained that completing this last portion of the railway would unlock significant economic opportunities throughout ...
Kenya’s High Court Rules Contract for Chinese-Financed Railway Can Remain Secret
Kenya's highest court ruled the government does not have to reveal the contract for the controversial Standard Gauge Railway (SGR). Friday's ruling overturned a 2020 Appeals Court ruling that claimed the government had indeed flouted procurement disclosure laws when it refused to publish ...
China Blocked Kenya From Getting Competitive Bids to Build Costly Railway, Supreme Court Told
Kenya’s Supreme Court hearings into the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) deal are revealing a deal tainted by collusion between Chinese and Kenyan actors. The account emerging from testimony shows that the deal defied oversight from the start. COMPETITIVE BIDDING: Financing depended on China ...
Chinese Contractor Signs $2.2 Billion Deal to Build Next Stage of Tanzania’s Standard Gauge Railway
The Tanzanian government and an unspecified Chinese contractor signed a $2.2 billion contract on Tuesday to build a 2,561km rail line from Dar es Salaam to the Lake Victoria city of Mwanza. It's important to note that even though Chinese contractors ...
Kenya’s Transport Minister to Chinese Ambassador: No Hard Feelings About the Release of SGR Loan Agreements, Right?
Kenya's Road and Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen was all smiles last week when Chinese ambassador Zhou Pingjian made a courtesy call to his office in what appears to be an effort to show that ties between the two had not been impacted by the CS's controversial decision to ...