Kampala, Addis SGRs: Same specifications, different costs
The Ethiopia-Djibouti train line in Addis Ababa. The 750 kilometre railway, built by two Chinese companies, links Addis Ababa to the Red Sea port city of Djibouti in about 10 hours. AFP PHOTO | ZACHARIAS ABUBEKER
Even as the transport ministers of Uganda and Kenya head to Beijing later this month to demonstrate to China Exim Bank — the financiers of the two countries’ standard gauge railway projects — progress towards building a seamless rail network, Kampala is embroiled in a fight over the cost of the project.
At issue is the $2.3 billion engineering, procurement and construction contract for the 273km eastern route that starts at Malaba and terminates at Bukasa, near Kampala, translating into $8.42 million per kilometre of the track.
