Kenya court rejects China's multi-billion dollar BRI rail project

Kenya's appeals court has ruled that the contract between the Kenyan government and China Road Bridge Corporation(CRBC) failed to comply with its laws.
The court said that the state-run Kenya railways failed to comply with the country's law in the procurement of the Standard Guage Railway(SGR), which is part of China's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative(BRI), according to a report.

The court further declared that the contract was "illegal". A Kenyan activist along with the Law Society of Kenya had brought a lawsuit in 2014 to stop the construction of the railway link. It had alleged that the contract was "single-sourced" and not put on tender. The petition said that it was "a 100 per cent Kenyan funded venture" with the Kenyan taxpayers who would be repaying the loan repayments. 

It was a reportedly a $3.2 billion project between Kenya and China.

The Kenyan High Court had earlier dismissed the case as state-run railway along with CRBC defended their position. However, the appeal court gave the verdict in favour of the plaintiffs. The Kenyan government or the CRB can appeal in the nation's Supreme Court.

Large sections of the railway line is already operational with both parties having poured massive resources into the project. 

Kenya had launched the cargo service on the Chinese-built Standard Gauge Railway in October last year. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and Chinese state councillor Wang Yong, who is the special envoy of Chinese President Xi Jinping, had later launched the phase 2A freight service and dry port located in the resort town of Naivasha in December, 2019.

During the launch, Wang had emphasised that the project highlighted the "mutual benefits and shared development" of the China-Africa cooperation while vowing to "continue to promote Sino-Kenyan cooperation with connectivity within the framework of BRI."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Tomb of Emir Nur in Harar - #Ethiopia Harar Jugol has been listed in the World Heritage by #UNESCO. It is "considered 'the fourth holy city' of Islam" with nearly 100 mosques, three of which date from the 10th century.

Image
  As of this August,   more than 90 percent   of safari tour operators have reported losing 75 percent or more of their annual business due to Covid-19. The pandemic has dealt a devastating blow to an industry that was booming just six months earlier. As country after country went into lockdown and emergency quarantine protocols were put in place, lodges had to  put a halt to safaris —not just because customers weren't making new reservations, but also because scheduled safaris were consistently canceled.  Tony Mobile Safari  in Botswana lost more than 150 expected customers.  Mankwe Wildlife Reserve  in South Africa saw every customer cancel.  Mofeg Travel and Tours  in Ghana normally operates seven tours annually; this year, it was  only able to have one .  And tourists aren't the only ones affected by the safari industry's pause. Jarryd du Preez , a safari ranger at South Africa's Phinda Private Game Reserve for tour company...
Read more

State releases Sh8.7bn for needy families

Image
The government has released Sh8.7 billion under the cash transfer programmes to cushion vulnerable people against the effects of coronavirus as directed by President Uhuru Kenyatta. Social Protection Principal Secretary Nelson Marwa said on Sunday that a further Sh500 million has also been released to clear arrears owed to persons living with disabilities. Mr Marwa said the money has already been wired to respective banks, and each beneficiary will receive Sh8,000, which is the cumulative payment between January and April. The paying banks contracted by the beneficiaries include Kenya Commercial Bank, Equity Bank, Post Bank and Cooperative Bank. “This money is meant to cushion these vulnerable groups from the negative effects of Covid-19 as emphasised by President Uhuru Kenyatta,” Mr Marwa said. Speaking last Friday, President Kenyatta said the money is will be devoted specifically to cushion the most vulnerable and to protect healthcare workers. Source: natio...
Read more

Kenya’s largest dairy producer wants to buy solar

Image
New Kenya Cooperative Creameries finalized the preliminary phase of a tender this week to purchase electricity from a solar facility that will be built at its new KCC Sotik Factory. Kenya’s largest dairy producer will buy power from a project featuring both ground-mounted and rooftop PV arrays. The selected developer will finance, own and operate the plant and will sell all of its output to New Kenya Cooperative Creameries under a power purchase agreement. “The financial proposal will be quoted in payments per kWh as well as any other cost,” the company said.  “Average consumption from the grid was 1,428,016 kWh in 2017 and 945,206 kWh in 2018.” The company currently covers around 69% of its energy needs with electricity from utility Kenya Power and Lighting Co. (KPLC). It generates the remaining percentage internally with a 500 KVA standby generator. New Kenya Cooperative Creameries operates 22 milk-cooling plants and processing factories. It has a daily milk intake of...
Read more