.Ethiopia is constructing a high speed electric railway line originating from Djibouti, crossing through Ethiopia main land all the way to Juba in Southern Sudan. They have allowed a link to Moyale supposedly to serve Northern Kenya. Ethiopia and Southern Sudan may not therefore need Lapsset in the current form of the proposal.

.Tanzania is developing a massive port at Bagamoyo (to rival Lamu) and a standard gauge railway line from Dar to Kigali. Rwanda, Burundi and Eastern Congo might not need Mombasa any more

.During the CPA years (2005-2011) Al Bashir milked too much oil from southern Sudan fields. Consequently, Southern Sudan can only produce oil for maximum 10-15 years. The proposed Lapsset oil pipeline may therefore not be of much economic use.

The only hinterland that should really guide our planning is Kenya mainland itself, Uganda, and Southern Sudan to an extent.

With this in mind, if there is any facility to be fast-tracked by Kenya, it is the overhaul of existing archaic Mombasa – Kamapla railway and replacement with standard gauge type...not Lapsset.

As for Lapsset, the only facility that should go ahead for now is the Lamu Port. A standard gauge railway line should then be built linking Lamu to new Mombasa Kampala Standard gauge railway at Voi. Links from Mombasa- Kampala Standard gauge railway to Isiolo, Moyale, Juba from Kitale, etc can still be created in future depending on demand. As for the oil pipeline, it may be more cost effective to replace the existing one with modern pipeline that with reverse flow ability, or build two side by side. A link to Juba can be created from Eldoret.

Alma yaani unanitafuta tu....Why not link this post to the lapsset thread then we continue...i have alot to say

@Limanika,

That's interesting.....You've put a lot of thought on this.I am waiting to hear from someone who has contrary views.

Can those saying that this is interesting substantiate because to me its absolutely nonsense. Do you stop living because your neighbor has said he is going to start living?

murchr what limanika is saying is we need to prioritize something and fast. We have had a lot of funfair and media publicity on these grand lapsetts and konza's.

As we were holding press conferences, our neighbours have been working.

Your analogy is assuming that we are living. We are still dreaming of starting to live. Our neighbours have started building. That will lead to the wazua threads of "my neighbour has bought a range rover"

I would be very interested to hear a different opinion. Including laptops and 6% economic growth as MP's increase the wage bill would also add spice to the topic.

wanyee, we aren't against the project. It's just that some of us easily swayed by people like limunika who write their thoughts in english we can understand.

Telling old men like me to read a feesiberety report is really unfair.

Saidia sisi jameni with your interpretation.

Well, they've just heard your opinion now....

Read my post again. Nobody is objecting to Lamu port. This should have been built the day before yesterday. What we are saying is that the new Lamu port should be linked to existing Mombasa-Kampala line at Voi for instance. The Mombasa – Kampala existing line should be upgraded to standard gauge YESTERDAY. Cargo volumes to Southern Sudan, Moyale and Southern Ethiopia are not massive and can do with road for now. Railway links can be done in future after we have fixed what is urgent.
Many times when writing feasibility reports, basic fundamentals are ignored because corporations want to get approval of project, attract World Bank funding and make money quick. Indeed feasibility reports are usually tweaked to conceal weaknesses. For instance, the Ethiopia’s GIBE III feasibility report did not even mention Lake Turkana!

very interesting. Can anyone in the know please explain to me why the extremely slow movement to upgrading the Mombasa railway line? It seems every time someone mentions railway on this forum there is a giant sucking sound of silence.

Allow me to say,i have had the privilege of working and touring some of the marginal regions to be covered by the LAPPSET more specifically the arid and semi arid regions of this country. This project is more that the Ethiopia and Sudan aspect; Its about opening up the most marginalised parts of our country,like Kula Mawe in Isiolo county or Lokichar in Turkana county or even Kisima and Archers Post in Samburu county plus Sololo in Marsabit county. The people in these areas shall benefit from this project in terms of improved infrastructure and access to basics and i assure you Kenyas undiscovered mineral and oil wealth lies in these regions....with or without our neighburing countries we stand to benefit as a country much much much more