China Road and Bridge Corporation(CRBC) once again pushed feeble Kenyan contractors away to win a lucrative Sh2.5 billion Nairobi rail project.
A report by Business Daily indicates that some Kenya Railway officials had pushed for an open tender for a local firm to get part of the deal to supply ballast worth Ksh200 million.
They had also preferred open tendering for the upgrade contract, with the thought that rehabilitation of railway stations could have been done by Kenyan firms.
However, those familiar to the matter state the CRBC appears set to get the whole deal.
Giving an explanation on the matter, Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia indicated that local firms didn’t have the capacity to execute the job.
“We do not have local firms with the required capacity to undertake the works whereas CRBC has the adequate technical capacity,” stated CS Macharia.
Currently, the Nairobi commuter rail network is worn out due to insufficient ballast, broken rails and unstable cracks making the average speed of some sections at 15 km per hour.
The renovation will lay the ground for the Ksh1.5 billion second-hand diesel locomotives being imported from Spain.
The Ksh10 billion fund is part of the money set aside to ease Nairobi’s traffic congestion through restoring the commuter rail and introduction of the bus rapid transit system.
The Kitengela, Ruiru, Kikuyu, Syokimau and Embakasi railway lines will also be expected to be upgraded.
This is estimated to cost between Ksh100 million and Ksh270 million. The Nairobi station is expected to get a refurbishment worth Ksh100 million.
If the plan is successful, there will be a decrease in congestion in Nairobi city and a decrease in fares.