Uganda Denies Pulling Out of SGR Deal with Kenya

Uganda has refuted reports that it has pulled out of the deal for the construction of a Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) line linking the country with Kenya.

Monica Azuba, Uganda's Minister of Works and Transport, says her country is on track and will not cancel plans to connect the region through a modern railway line.

The Minister who spoke when she paid a courtesy call at the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) headquarters in Kisumu says 90 per cent of the cargo going to Uganda from Kenya is ferried through road, which is relatively slower.

“I want to refute this in strong terms, Uganda is very much on track with the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR). The SGR is very important to our country… it is really to cut down the travel time for our cargo between Mombasa and Kampala,” says the minister.

She points out that delays in signing of a deal with the financier is the reason the construction of the railway line is yet to begin. She assures that construction works will commence soon.

“We have not started on the actual construction but we have done everything to be ready to start on the construction; we have a contractor, consultant, and the financing mode in place,” she adds.