Environmental impact assessments for the railway were conducted, and these are of an international standard. The final reports, which included recommendations, were written to facilitate licensing by the National Environment Management Authority, the government regulator.
Railway to cut through Nairobi National Park
One major project was the more than four-mile-long stretch of the standard gauge railway cutting across the park that activists and conservation experts say has disturbed the wildlife. These encroachments have always led to conflicts between humans and animals, with lions and pythons roaming the neighboring city estates from time to time.
Protests to protect the park started in 2016, when the then Kenya Wildlife Chairman Richard Leakey approved a plan by Chinese contractors to build the standard gauge railway across the park, oblivious to a court order stopping it. Protesters marched to the Chinese embassy in Nairobi, calling on the China Exim Bank to stop funding the destructive project.
In 2018, the conservationists led street protests and filed lawsuits and appeals against court rulings after contractors started the construction of the railway inside the park. On March 1, protesters marched in the hundreds, demanding that the Chinese-built railway be rerouted around the park.
Hopes of extending the SGR to Kisumu and Malaba started to fade when regional commitments to complete the network began to fall apart. In 2016, Rwanda pulled out of the SGR, due to shifting relations among East African Community countries, and announced it would focus on building a railway through Tanzania to the Indian Ocean. In 2018, Uganda announced the SGR would be put on hold over unresolved issues such as who would finance the border-crossing segment of the railway. When President Kenyatta failed to secure a proposed loan of US$3.6 billon during his visit to Beijing in 2019, it became clear China Eximbank would not continue to fund the SGR. Faced with these hurdles, the governments of Kenya and Uganda opted to rehabilitate their respective narrow-gauge railways built during colonial times. SGR freight trains now run from Port Reitz in Mombasa straight to the Inland Container Depots in Nairobi and Naivasha, where cargo is cleared or transferred to Uganda and other neighbouring countries.
A freight train runs on the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway track in Mombasa, Kenya, on July 27, 2022. The Chinese-built Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) has just celebrated its fifth anniversary of safe operation. The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway passes through nature reserves such as the Nairobi National Park and Tsavo National Park. In order to reduce the impact on the environment, a series of measures have been taken during the design and construction of the railway such as bypassing the mangroves, which help keep the mangroves flourishing in the last five years. Besides, a total of 14 large wildlife passages and 79 bridges have been set up along the entire railway in consideration of the living habits and migration paths of wild animals. Large animal passages with the height of over 6.5 meters were constructed beneath the track for large animals such as elephants and giraffes to get through. Fences are set up on both sides of the line to prevent animals from passing through and reduce the chance of collisions between animals and trains. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)
A freight train runs on the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway track bypassing the mangroves in Mombasa, Kenya, on July 27, 2022. The Chinese-built Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) has just celebrated its fifth anniversary of safe operation. The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway passes through nature reserves such as the Nairobi National Park and Tsavo National Park. In order to reduce the impact on the environment, a series of measures have been taken during the design and construction of the railway such as bypassing the mangroves, which help keep the mangroves flourishing in the last five years. Besides, a total of 14 large wildlife passages and 79 bridges have been set up along the entire railway in consideration of the living habits and migration paths of wild animals. Large animal passages with the height of over 6.5 meters were constructed beneath the track for large animals such as elephants and giraffes to get through. Fences are set up on both sides of the line to prevent animals from passing through and reduce the chance of collisions between animals and trains. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)
Photo taken on July 20, 2022 shows the Nairobi National Park Super Major Bridge equipped with noise deflectors in Nairobi, Kenya. The Chinese-built Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) has just celebrated its fifth anniversary of safe operation. The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway passes through nature reserves such as the Nairobi National Park and Tsavo National Park. In order to reduce the impact on the environment, a series of measures have been taken during the design and construction of the railway such as bypassing the mangroves, which help keep the mangroves flourishing in the last five years. Besides, a total of 14 large wildlife passages and 79 bridges have been set up along the entire railway in consideration of the living habits and migration paths of wild animals. Large animal passages with the height of over 6.5 meters were constructed beneath the track for large animals such as elephants and giraffes to get through. Fences are set up on both sides of the line to prevent animals from passing through and reduce the chance of collisions between animals and trains. (Afristar/Handout via Xinhua)
A passenger train runs on the Tsavo River Super Major Bridge near the Tsavo National Park in Kenya, on July 28, 2022. The Chinese-built Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) has just celebrated its fifth anniversary of safe operation. The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway passes through nature reserves such as the Nairobi National Park and Tsavo National Park. In order to reduce the impact on the environment, a series of measures have been taken during the design and construction of the railway such as bypassing the mangroves, which help keep the mangroves flourishing in the last five years. Besides, a total of 14 large wildlife passages and 79 bridges have been set up along the entire railway in consideration of the living habits and migration paths of wild animals. Large animal passages with the height of over 6.5 meters were constructed beneath the track for large animals such as elephants and giraffes to get through. Fences are set up on both sides of the line to prevent animals from passing through and reduce the chance of collisions between animals and trains. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)
A zebra is seen next to a fence as a freight train runs on the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway track in Kenya, on July 28, 2022. The Chinese-built Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) has just celebrated its fifth anniversary of safe operation. The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway passes through nature reserves such as the Nairobi National Park and Tsavo National Park. In order to reduce the impact on the environment, a series of measures have been taken during the design and construction of the railway such as bypassing the mangroves, which help keep the mangroves flourishing in the last five years. Besides, a total of 14 large wildlife passages and 79 bridges have been set up along the entire railway in consideration of the living habits and migration paths of wild animals. Large animal passages with the height of over 6.5 meters were constructed beneath the track for large animals such as elephants and giraffes to get through. Fences are set up on both sides of the line to prevent animals from passing through and reduce the chance of collisions between animals and trains. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)
Zebras are seen next to a fence as a freight train runs on the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway track in Kenya, on July 28, 2022. The Chinese-built Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) has just celebrated its fifth anniversary of safe operation. The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway passes through nature reserves such as the Nairobi National Park and Tsavo National Park. In order to reduce the impact on the environment, a series of measures have been taken during the design and construction of the railway such as bypassing the mangroves, which help keep the mangroves flourishing in the last five years. Besides, a total of 14 large wildlife passages and 79 bridges have been set up along the entire railway in consideration of the living habits and migration paths of wild animals. Large animal passages with the height of over 6.5 meters were constructed beneath the track for large animals such as elephants and giraffes to get through. Fences are set up on both sides of the line to prevent animals from passing through and reduce the chance of collisions between animals and trains. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) 2ff7e9595c
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