Aerial photo taken on May 11, 2017 shows the Mombasa passenger depot of the Mombasa-Nairobi standard gauge railway in Kenya. (Xinhua/Chen Cheng)
NAIROBI, May 22 (Xinhua) -- China has been in the last few years a loyal partner in Kenya's transformational agenda, particularly pertaining to the development of economic physical infrastructure,says a Kenyan official.
State House spokesman Manoah Esipisu told a news conference in Nairobi on Sunday that the center-piece of that transformation is the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), the first phase of which is complete.
"On that day, China, who provided the funds through loans that ensured the SGR was built - will be sending a senior delegation of the State Council, two ministers and one vice minister as the official delegation at that launch," Esipisu said in Nairobi.
China's Exim Bank has provided 90 percent of the financing towards construction of Standard Gauge Railway project that will cost 3.6 billion U.S. dollars.
He said President Uhuru Kenyatta will on May 31 commission the first phase of the high speed railway that has been completed on budget, 18 months ahead of schedule.
He said President Kenyatta is also expected to officiate at events on the container terminal at the SGR on May 30 before taking the inaugural ride from Mombasa to Nairobi on May 31.
Aerial photo taken on May 11, 2017 shows the Mombasa passenger depot of the Mombasa-Nairobi standard gauge railway in Kenya. (Xinhua/Chen Cheng)
"That ride will include a number of stops along the way to commission some of the new stations as well as to address people that are resident in some of the counties that the SGR passes through," Esipisu said.
He said the President strongly believes that infrastructure is at the core of development, growth and creating opportunity for young people and that is why when he was invited by President Xi Jinping to visit Beijing for an infrastructure conference last week, he gladly accepted.
At the Beijing conference, Kenyatta reached agreement on new partnerships with China, which are expected to further support the development of critical infrastructure in the country and beyond.
