Local participation a win-win on Standard Gauge Railway project

Pius Maundu

@piusmaundu

Local participation a win-win on Standard Gauge Railway project

On September 24, 2014, the Daily Nation carried a commentary by Jaindi Kisero titled “Excessive demands by communities a threat to major infrastructural projects.”  In this article, Kisero bemoans that local communities are delaying the realization of the seamless railway project by exerting undue demands fertilized by their short-sightedness. This is not true.  

Specifically, I’m finding fault in the anecdotal inclusion of the Kibwezi section of the proposed Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) in this commentary. When local communities through their leaders seek to be involved in the realization of the SGR project, to me, they should be applauded. 

Participation of locals is a win-win move to both the contractor, the government and the locals.

By locals knowing how the railway design will affect their social-economic well being, and advising accordingly on the location of underpasses, for instance, possible conflicts are minimized. 

Just as Kisero notes, no contractor prides in parachuting a project in the midst of a community without seeking the community’s blessings. Such a move eats into the sustainability of the project. 

Interestingly, Kisero seems to be unhappy that locals want to be allowed to clear bushes and supply locally available building materials for pay by China Road and Bridge Corporation, the contractor trusted with the project. 

According to Athanas Maina, the Managing Director of the Kenya Railways, 40% of the total contracts in this Shs 327 billion project are reserved for the locals. 

Local leaders are aware that unless locals are allowed to clear bushes, supply sand and ballast, they’ll be technically barred from earning from this project which is certainly going to disrupt their economic lifeline, at least temporarily. Everybody knows the value of public-private partnerships in enabling the success of massive projects the size of SGR. 

If the SGR is to get to Kigali, Bujumbura, DRC and Juba, its prudent to get everything right. Let’s not be offhand on this infrastructural life changer simply because it is snaking through Ukambani in the meantime, or because it is funded by the Exim Bank of China. Doing so will be parochial and dilatory.