Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta opened today the largest infrastructure project in the country in over fifty years with some help from Chinese friends.
The first stage of a major railway connects capital Nairobi with Mombasa.
With the help of Chinese investment and influence the project marks largest infrastructure since independence in 1964 from British colonialists.
The railway track is 298 miles long and is built by China Road and Bridge Corporation at the cost of $3.8 billion. The work started in December 2014 and until now the first section has been completed, about 18 months ahead of scheduled time.
The line will be extending westward and reach Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Burundi. In the northern region the network will reach South Sudan and Ethiopia.
The new rail network will cut the journey time in half and it will be much cheaper compared to the bus.
Prior to the opening of the rail network the people were forced to use the so-called Lunatie Express, which was built by the British ruler in the 19th century.
For decades the Kenyans wanted to travel from Mombasa to Nairobi by train.
It is learned the new rail network will be named as Madaraka Express. In Swahili the word Madarak means responsibility or power.
Madaraka is also the name of independence day of the country that is celebrated on June 1 each year.
The country will go for polls in August this year and ahead of it the opening of rail network is like pride and political capital for Kenyatta.
