This archive report was first published on 22 October 2019.
On October 22, 2019, President Uhuru Kenyatta launched the Nairobi – Naivasha second phase of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), which now terminates at Suswa. However, the project has been marred by controversy, including allegations of racial abuse and exclusion of Kenyan workers from core duties.
The SGR has been characterized by pomp and color, but beneath the surface, it is a story of unnecessary debt and racial tensions. A report by the Sunday Standard in 2018 revealed the racism, blatant abuse, and lack of skills transfer that characterizes the SGR trains.
According to the report, Chinese nationals have created a small kingdom on the train, where they run roughshod over Kenyan workers who experience neo-colonialism, racism, and blatant discrimination. The taxpayer foots the Sh. 30 million a day bill for the train, which translates to Sh. 1 billion at the end of every month.
The report also revealed that Kenyan drivers have been systematically excluded from riding the trains to and from Mombasa. In fact, Kenyan drivers have only taken charge of the 472-kilometer ride once, on the project launch with President Uhuru Kenyatta as a passenger.
Wildlife has also not been spared, with two lions and five buffaloes being hit and killed by the SGR trains by 2018. Kenyan workers at the SGR have also been subjected to racial abuse, with some being forced to remain behind rather than share a van with Chinese workers.
