Wamburu (standing), Mert Oz (seated left) during the meeting in Tororo
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I Ground breaking for the construction of the long awaited Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) is well underway, officials have intimated to Habari Daily.
Fred Byamukama, the state minister for works said that officials from Yapi Markezi have proceeded with laying ground for the upon receiving an advance payment of $75million (about 270b) from the ministry of finance.
“The contractor will soon start mobilizing equipment, workforce to carry out engineering designs and design the railway route,” he said in a recent telephone interview.
The Malaba-Kampala section of the 273 km SGR was launched in November 2024 by President Yoweri Museveni, and is expected to take four years to complete.
The entire 1,724 kilometres (1,071 mi) SGR in Uganda with an approximate price tag of $12.8b, is intended to ease the transfer of goods between the port of Mombasa and the Ugandan capital of Kampala, and subsequently to Kigali in Rwanda, and to Beni in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and to Nimule and Juba in South Sudan.
Byamukama said that as a way of utilising the funds, the contractor has already set up a coordination office to lay ground for hiring of workers.
“Very soon, they shall start identifying the sources of local materials, construct labor camps, establish concrete batching units, establish a concrete sleeper factory and training of the local community,” he said.
Canon Engineer Perez Wamburu, the project coordinator said Kenya is in the advanced stage of moving the railway line from Naivasha to Uganda.
“That’s why I can speak confidently that works are going to start after waiting for a long from 2015 up to 2022 after the Chinese company met financial challenges’’ he said.
While meeting Tororo stakeholders recently, Wamburu introduced the Turkish contractor, Yapi Merkezi, who is going to undertake the works plus the SSF joint venture who are the project consultants.
The colourful function was held at the Tororo council chambers, after which the team then took the contractor along the corridor right from Kilometer Zero along river Malaba as they headed towards Kampala.
Local positivity
Mert Oz, the Yapi Merkezi project contractor said the project has a lot of positivity since it’s going to be a serious game changer in terms of doing business and creation of employment.
He said they will deliver good quality works in a timely manner, having done the same in the neighboring Tanzania.
“The entire Tororo is going to benefit a lot in terms of infrastructural development, since it will host the biggest motioning yard in Malaba where cargo will be classified, as well as a railway station,” he said.
He noted that they are going to prepare designs that match international standards with the electrified railway system. “We will also provide employment to the locals. District administrators should help us identify those who qualify.”
59 unpaid claimants
Rebecca Akumu, the district vice chairperson called upon the project coordinator to ensure that the remaining 59 project affected persons (PAPs) are duly compensated.
Wamburu responded that compensation for 59 PAPs was delayed because of lack of clearance by the ministry of lands that conducted their assessment.
He said that as soon as all clearance is done all the PAPs will be paid, since the ministry of works has funds for this activity in their account.
