This archive report was first published on 24 October 2019.
Published on October 24, 2019, Deputy President William Ruto has dismissed critics of the Nairobi-Suswa Standard Gauge Railway, saying the project is viable.
Speaking in Sekenani, Nakuru West Constituency, Dr Ruto drew parallels with the Meter Gauge Railway constructed by the British 100 years ago from Mombasa to Kisumu, which faced similar criticism.
"I have heard some people say the rail launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta at Suswa was a 'railway to nowhere'. Is Narok not Kenya?" Ruto asked, referencing the criticism faced by the British railway.
He also referenced the criticism faced by the Queen of England when she launched the old railway, calling it the 'lunatic express' due to its location in Africa.
President Uhuru Kenyatta had earlier opened the second phase of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project, promising to push it to the Malaba border town despite expected challenges.
Construction of the railway was halted earlier this year after the Chinese government withheld Sh490 billion in funding, catching the Governments of Kenya and Uganda off guard.
