By Christopher K Kibiwott
Can someone tell me how SGR will benefit the common man? Don’t tell me it will take less time to travel to Mombasa; because you don’t go to Mombasa to bring money, you go there to waste. And by the way, even if you get there one hour earlier, how does that change your life?
Don’t tell me it will boost export because we export nothing apart from corruption which doesn’t need SGR because it is transmitted like disease.
Don’t tell me it will safe our roads because by the time the railway is completed, the cost will not make it viable to use railway to transport goods. Besides, where do you expect the Mois, Buzekis, Rutos etc to take their lories?
Don’t tell me it will create employment because having loaders in Mombasa and other towns is not job creation but a sure way to finish our generations.
If the hundreds of billions used for SGR was used to make roads, we would have 13,000 Kms of new roads in Kenya. This will be double what we have currently. Imagine the impact of such roads to the common man.
It could open up all places for real growth with Agriculture alone creating hunndreds of thousands of jobs, not to mention development of rural based industries.
But then, this is Kenya where leaders don’t want us to get out of this hole of poverty, corruption, tribalism and marginalization.
