By Faridah n Kulumba
Africa-Press – Uganda. The government of Uganda revealed the plan of reviving construction works on East Africa’s ambitious Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) line linking the port of Mombasa to Kampala and the neighboring country Rwanda.
This followed a deal inked between Uganda and Turkish firm, Yapi Merkezi. On 12th January this year Uganda agreed to give the same Turkish private company Yapi Merkezi a contract for the construction of Tanzania Standard Gauge Railway for construction of the SGR on the eastern and western of Malaba-Kampala-Kigali after the termination of the contract of China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) that had previously been contracted to build the 273-kilometer line from Malaba to Kampala after the firm failed to convince China Exim Bank to finance the project.
Yapi Merkezi is said to be undertaking commendable work on the SGR project in Tanzania,” reads part of a statement by the government of Uganda.
The planned 1,500 km-long railway from Mombasa to Kigali had fallen behind schedule, with only Kenya having completed the initial phase of the project from Mombasa to Nairobi.
Preparations
The government of Uganda said via its Twitter that the delegation is expected to meet Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) and other stakeholders ahead of the Partner States Northern Corridor Integration Projects (NCIPs) SGR cluster meeting scheduled for 24-26 May 2023 in Kampala.
Three East African countries had agreed on building a 1,500-kilometer SGR that links Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa to Kigali.
It’s only Kenya that has partially completed the section on its side – from Mombasa to Nairobi.
It is not yet clear when construction works on SGR are set to begin, but Uganda says it had previously completed the feasibility and designs for the 273 km-long lines between Malaba, in Kenya, and Kampala. The Ugandan section is estimated to cost USD2.3 billion.
Rwanda, on the other hand, earlier indicated that it had completed the preliminary engineering design of the new line from Kampala to Kigali, through Mirama Hills.
Easing transportation
Once completed, SGR is expected to ease the transport of people and goods between the East African countries of Uganda, Kenya, and also Tanzania. Currently, the government is focusing on compensating locals staying within the confines of the railway line.
Works on the Ugandan side are slated to kick off in August this year, according to the government.
The standard gauge railway from Kampala to Kigali is part of the Northern Corridor infrastructure project designed to connect Mombasa to Malaba on the border with Uganda, and onward to Kampala, Uganda’s capital, and eventually Kigali in Rwanda, with a branch line to Kisumu, and another line to Juba in South Sudan through Kasese and Pakwach.
Uganda has lost billions and billions of money in recent years while having conflicts with neighboring countries which has resulted in the closure of borders due to political issues. Uganda and Rwanda relations were shut down nearly three years ago.
Tensions rise between the central African neighbors, fuelled by accusations of espionage and support for each other’s dissidents.
In 2019 the government of Rwanda closed the Katuna border between Rwanda and Uganda and it was opened last year. Rwanda accused Uganda of harboring Nyamwasa’s fighters and arbitrarily detaining and torturing Rwandan nationals—charges Uganda denied.
Rwanda had repeatedly accused Uganda of supporting rebel groups planning to topple the government in Kigali while Kampala accused Rwanda of carrying out illegal espionage activities in Uganda.
For its external trade, Rwanda primarily relies on a transport corridor that runs from the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa through Kenya and Uganda. The same road also funnels goods through Rwanda to Burundi and the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Rwanda and Uganda have long harbored mutual suspicions and hostilities, partly stemming from historical ties between both countries’ politics and security.
About Yapi Merkezi
Yapi Merkezi is a Turkish privately-owned contracting company, specializing in rail construction, designing, and manufacturing. It also has experience in electrification, signaling, and telecommunication.
Yapi Merkezi’s headquarters is in Istanbul and was founded in 1965 by Ersin Arioglu and Koksa Anadol. The company spread its wings in several countries including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Morocco, Ethiopia, and Tanzania.
Yapi Merkezi is known for constructing railway lines such as Eurasia Tunnel, Dubai Metro, Ankara-Konya high-speed railway, Kayseri Tramway, Izmir Metro, Bursa Light Rail System, Casablanca tramway, Istanbul Metro, Istanbul modern Tram, Tanzania Standard Gauge Railway (TSGR), Medinah High-Speed Train Station, and many more.
Road Engineer Mr. Emauel Ssasi said in an interview with the Africa-Press that Uganda has selected the best contractor for the SGR because Yarp Merkezi is far better compared to the Chinese with the state of art architecture design.
The relationship between Turkey and Uganda has greatly improved in recent years. The construction sector is the driving force. Turkiye’s presence in Uganda is growing with contractors carrying out major development initiatives in the public and private high-tech infrastructure.
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