Kenya To Go Ahead With Rail Project Despite Court Order

The Kenyan government on Friday asserted that construction of a multibillion-dollar railway would resume – starting next week – despite a court order to suspend it due to a dispute over land compensation.



"The groundwork has already been laid and construction will continue as planned… as soon as next week," Transport and Infrastructure Cabinet Secretary Michael Kamau told Anadolu Agency by phone.



On Thursday, judicial spokesman Kwamchesi Makokha told AA that Judge Kariuki had decided to suspend all activities related to the $3.8-billion standard-gauge railway for the next 14 days, after which the case will be heard.



Kamau, however, told AA that construction activity would continue until the case is heard.



"As far as I know, it's a status quo until the case is heard on November 6. The first phase of the railway line is about 610km and passes through many constituencies – not only Kibwezi constituency, whose residents went to court," he said.



He added: "We will continue doing what we are doing."



The High Court in Machakos County on Thursday ordered construction halted after the case was filed by residents of the Kibwezi West constituency.



Local residents demand compensation from the government for the loss of their land before rail construction proceeds.



The Kenyan government, for its part, insists that those affected by the railway will be compensated.



"I can confirm to you that we will not have anybody moved from his land before compensating them. The national lands commission, on behalf of my ministry, is… on the ground to know who will be compensated and how much they will be compensated," Kamau said.



The rail project was commissioned by President Uhuru Kenyatta in April and is being carried out by the China Communication Construction Company.



In May, Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang inked the deal for the transnational project with the presidents of Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and South Sudan.



When completed, the railway will link the landlocked countries of East Africa to the Kenyan port of Mombasa.



Construction of the 609-kilometer track is expected to take 42 months.



By Yassin Juma



englishnews@aa.com.tr



www.aa.com.tr/en - Nayrobi