SGR Noise Disturbance To Cost Gov’t Ksh467 Million For Relocation Of School, Hospital

The government will have to incur a cost of Ksh467 million for the relocation of a school and hospital in Kibwezi, Makueni County over noise disturbance by the Standard Gauge Railway.

According to reports, the managements of the two institutions drafted a letter to Kenya Railways requesting to be relocated due to the disturbance from the trains that pass nearby.

The two, Kathekani Secondary School and Mtito Andei Hospital, noted that Kenya Railways accepted their request and the facilities will be moved to another location.

Kathekani Secondary School board chairman Mr Michael Mung’ata stated that Kenya Railways informed them that the relocation would take place over the next one year.

Confirming the development, Kibwezi Sub-County Director of Education Kennedy Machora stated that the school will be newly constructed at a cost of Ksh225.5 million whereas the hospital will cost Ksh 242.4 million.

Read: Raila to Accompany Uhuru on Trip to China to Seek Ksh368 Billion SGR Expansion Loan

This happens even as the government plans to spend Ksh21 billion to revamp Kenya’s old railway network and link it to the SGR.

The new plan follows the government failure to secure a Ksh360 billion loan to extend the SGR to Uganda.

Speaking on the revamping mission, Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia noted that the government is considering funding from the private sector for the upgrade.

Upgrading the old Meter Gauge Railway (MGR) from Naivasha to Malaba will cost Sh15 billion while connecting the SGR and the old tracks in Naivasha, a 43-kilometre stretch, is estimated to cost Sh6 billion.

“With that, then we’ll have a complete, seamless and efficient transportation all the way from Mombasa, Naivasha to Malaba,” Macharia mentioned on Wednesday.

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