On March 19th local time, the groundbreaking ceremony for the second phase of the Nairobi Malaba Railway project, constructed by China Communications Construction, was held in Kenya. More than 1000 people attended the event, including Kenyan President William Ruto, representatives from East African Community countries such as Uganda, Kenyan government representatives, Song Hailiang, Chairman of China Communications Construction Corporation, and key officials from relevant departments and units, as well as local residents. As a key extension of the Mombasa Nairobi Railway and the Nairobi Malaba Railway Phase I, the landmark project of the the Belt and Road Initiative jointly built by China and Kenya, the Nairobi Malaba Railway Phase II project is of great significance in improving regional connectivity and promoting economic growth and integrated development.

The second phase of the Neyma Railway starts from the terminus of Neyma Phase I, Naivasha, passing through important economic nodes such as Narok, Bomeite, and Aharo, reaching Kenya's third largest city and important transportation hub, Kisumu, and finally arriving at the border city of Malaba in Uganda. The project is constructed by China Communications Construction Corporation and will be implemented in two phases: Phase 2B will connect Naivasha and Kisumu, with a total length of about 264 kilometers, and a branch line of about 8.9 kilometers will be built to connect Kisumu Port; The 2C phase extends from Kisumu to Malaba on the Kenyan Ukrainian border, passing through several important counties in western Kenya.

After the completion of the project, it will significantly improve the transportation efficiency of the East African region. The travel time from Nairobi to Kampala will be shortened from about 14 hours to about 4 hours, and the freight cost is expected to be reduced by about 35%; At the same time, it will become an important part of the northern corridor of East Africa, connecting Kenya with inland countries such as Uganda and South Sudan, and further improving the regional logistics and transportation network.

During the groundbreaking ceremony, Kenyan President Ruto stated that extending the railway to the Ugandan border will significantly enhance regional connectivity and promote Kenya's socio-economic transformation. He pointed out that the railway project will connect the Indian Ocean port city of Mombasa more closely with the inland areas rich in agricultural resources, injecting new impetus into the country's economic growth by reducing transportation costs, improving freight capacity, and promoting trade flow. Ruto emphasized that the project will not only help expand the scale of regional trade, but also create a large number of job opportunities during the construction phase, and drive the development of logistics, trade, and manufacturing related industrial clusters.

Song Hailiang, Chairman of CCCC, said that the railway is an important infrastructure project under the "the Belt and Road" cooperation framework and will further deepen the bilateral cooperation between China and Kenya while promoting Kenya's economic development. He stated that the project construction will adhere to the principles of high standards and high quality, while prioritizing the promotion of localized employment and technology transfer, to help Kenya improve its infrastructure construction capacity and industrial development level.

The Naivasha Kisumu Malaba section of the Naima Railway Phase II project is an important component of the westward extension of Kenya's standard gauge railway and a key node project connecting inland countries in East Africa. As the railway gradually advances towards the regional hinterland, it is expected to further enhance the logistics efficiency and economic integration level of East Africa, consolidating Kenya's position as a regional transportation hub. (The above content is from Xinhua News Agency and Kenya Railways)Editor/Gong Ziwei