President Uhuru Kenyatta has taken a swipe at those saying that the Nairobi-Naivasha SGR leads to nowhere.
Reacting to a media report that had said he was launching a new railway line leading to nowhere, Uhuru termed those who came up with it as visionless.
The passenger train that starts on Thursday terminates at Suswa Station which is at least three kilometres to the nearest highway.
"I have seen some media reports saying that the President is launching a railway going to nowhere. But I said it is ok," Uhuru said.
He added; "Because you have no vision... you stay in Nairobi... you walk to your bar in the evening... you wake up and look for a matatu because you are going to where you know."
"But your reasoning cannot tell you to think of how the Kenya of tomorrow... the Kenya of our children will be..."
He went on to say that such individuals only think of themselves and their families and have no interest in anything to do with the future of the country.
"Let me tell you. Mai Mahiu... Suswa is not nowhere. This is Kenya. And let me tell you. Whether you like it or not once I am done with my work and go home, after 20 years when I come back here, Mai Mahiu and Suswa will be more developed than Nairobi," Uhuru said.
The President also said detractors will not be allowed to derail the government from implementing its development projects.
The President said SGR holds huge economic benefits for the country and dismissed the project's critics telling them to stop being selfish.
"Without infrastructure, there will be no investors. Without investors, there will be no jobs for our youth," he said.
The President who was accompanied by First Lady Margaret Kenyatta spoke at Mai Mahiu where he addressed thousands of wananchi after the launch of the Phase 2A of SGR emphasised that his main interest is to develop the country.
"And I tell all those who are thinking of holding us back that they should relocate to other countries because there is no place for them in Kenya. We will not be discouraged by baseless claims. We know where we want to take the country in development and we will not allow visionless people to discourage us,” the President said.
He likened SGR critics to a British Member of Parliament who in 1894 rubbished the construction of the Kenya-Uganda railway, claiming it was a “Lunatic Express” leading to “nowhere” thus a waste of the British government money.
Uhuru pointed out that what Mai Mahiu and Suswa townships are today is what Nairobi was 150 years ago before the construction of the Kenya-Uganda railway.
"We are not only focusing on today. We are looking at 50 years from now. We want to come to Suswa in future not only for politics but to see industries. We want to see our youth working, living well and educating their children,” Uhuru said.
He said Kenya today is boasting of towns like Mombasa, Voi, Machakos, Nairobi, Naivasha Nakuru, Eldoret and Kisumu because people had a vision and constructed the Kenya-Uganda railway.
The President said the journey of transforming Kenya is not a one-man affair but the responsibility of all Kenyans.
“My fellow Kenyans, Let us join together and build on our vision, develop our country, be united and not be dissuaded by naysayers who have nothing better to do than to continue putting us in a mood of depression,” he said.
In Suswa, after leading in the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Naivasha Special Economic Zone, the President Kenyatta assured that the construction of the Inland Container Depot in the area will not lead to job losses in Mombasa saying that the government is developing the Dongo Kundu Special Economic Zones that will create more jobs in the Coast region.
President Kenyatta took a swipe at politicians, telling them to stop peddling destructive politics and dividing Kenyans along party and tribal lines.
The President, at the same time, urged Kenyans to embrace national unity and live together peacefully.
"One of the legacies I want to leave behind is that of a united country where no Kenyan will shed blood because of politics," the President said.
