Since it’s inception this administration has been a ‘big-picture’ government. When we assumed leadership, Kenya already had Vision 2030 in place as the philosophical, theoretical framework for development. Our task was to create the legislative, economic and policy infrastructure to realise our national objectives. We were charged with setting our country on course for Middle Income status. Kenyans expected us to to be a driven, daring, “digital”, government; a government of innovation, of inclusion and of action. As we close in on the end of our first term, we are proud to report that we have taken deliberate measures to deliver to Kenyans. We have invested in effectively expanding the economic capacity of our country. We have put in place elaborate plans to sustain the transformation for generations to come. We are well on our way to realising the vision.
Undergirding our efforts, has been our fervent belief that transformative change is bred and buttressed by economic growth. Our goal has therefore been to spur double digit economic growth. This means making bold, calculated investments. Which is why we chose to invest big in infrastructure: roads, rail, air, water and energy; as a way of catalysing the industrialisation that would lead to economic growth.
One of our key and most pivotal investments has been building the standard gauge railway. The SGR will undoubtedly be a landmark historical achievement that’ll have an incredible, and possibly unprecedented, positive impact on our national economy and a ripple effect throughout the region. The high speed railway will make it possible for a tourist to travel less than six hours to get from Nairobi to the coast, a relief from the current tedious 18 hours. But this project is not principally about tourists.
The SGR will create a new dimension for commerce and industry. Today, a freight train carries 20 containers and travels at 20kph. On the SGR a freight train will carry 200 twenty-foot containers and travel at 120kph. We are the biggest economy in the region, and the SGR will help us to cement our pre-eminent position and remain the central logistics hub for the region.
Even now the impact of the SGR project is being felt. Building it created a wealth of knowledge as well as over 12,000 jobs for Kenyans thanks to the localised manufacture of the sleepers. Ultimately, the railway once completed will add a projected 1.5 per cent to our GDP.
We are expanding road, airports and seaports as well. The two new additional berths, 21 and 22, at the Port of Mombasa will go live on March 2 [today]. These two facilities will allow us to clear about five million more metric tonnes of cargo per year. We have released funds for the construction of three more berths at the Lamu Port. The completion of this project will reduce the pressure on the port of Mombasa and open a new trade route.
We are investing in select road projects that augment our regional significance and unlock trade and economic potential. We have 1,629km under construction at the moment and 620km more to come in the next financial year. Among these, are the Marsabit-Turbi road that terminates in Ethiopia and will link up with their highway on that side which is already done, thus opening up the Northern Corridor; the Dongo Kundu bypass that will open the special economic zones and create 100,000 jobs by 2019; The Arusha-Mwatate-Taveta Road, a project whose planning began in 1963, is now poised to become a reality that will allow the farmers of Taveta county access to new markets and improve incomes.
In 2013, our air transport capacity per year was 2.5 million passengers; today we are getting 6.5 million passengers projected to hit eight million by the end of the next financial year.
Inspiring industrialisation, creating jobs and expanding the middle class requires electricity and lots of it. The good news is, we have that power. At present, there is an energy surplus in the country. We are producing 2,319MW, which is about 200MW than we need. Rwanda and Tanzania are willing consumers of our surplus. We are poised to generate even more power through the Olkaria IV and Turkana Wind Farm to come in the next year or so.
Since 2013, we have connected over 2.1 million Kenyans to the national grid. That is the largest number since independence and we will maintain the pace until every household is connected, until all citizens have access to power and until our industries have access to reliable and affordable electricity.
As a whole, these calculated investments will redefine our economic competitiveness and underwrite generations of opportunity and prosperity. The proof of progress is already well established: Kenya has been named the third fastest growing economy in the world behind China and the Philippines by Bloomberg magazine. By any standard, we are clearly on the right path and
even with the strides we’ve made, we’ve only begun building momentum.
Johnson Sakaja in TNA national chairman; Cecily Mbarire is Runyenjes MP.