By: Emma Lu

It was supposed to be a day of celebration and rejoice when a brand-new railway was inaugurated five years ago by Kenya’s president, Uhuru Kenyatta. This Chinese-sponsored project’s supposed benefits included connecting the ports of Mombasa to Uganda, creating new jobs, and industrializing Kenya. It seemed perfect on the outside, as Kenyan and Chinese officials alike celebrated.

However, almost nothing worked out with the railway. Today, it has become a symbol of corruption and environmental harm. Instead of creating new jobs, it has actually displaced many workers, such as those in the trucking industry. The railway has also never brought much positive change. Kenya now owes China a massive debt, and its impact on the Kenyan economy will not go away in a matter of years. The taxes and austerity measures put in place were introduced by the government to help pay for the debt, but almost no one is happy with it. As Kenya was already struggling from rising food and fuel prices from the war in Ukraine, rising taxes did nothing to ease the situation.

The railroad wasn’t perfect in the beginning, either. The plan came under fire when it was revealed that the track was to go through Nairobi National Park, one of Kenya’s more significant nature preserves. Over $2 million was also mistakenly paid to individuals or companies falsely claiming to own land the railroad was to go through. The project proved to be a failure in foresight and planning, as it didn’t ever meet its expectations.

After the railroad was completed, it was discovered that shipping products by train would be almost double the cost of shipping by truck. As a result, authorities started encouraging importers to send goods by railroad. Once again, the public was not happy with the government’s decisions. Since then, thousands of truck drivers are expected to lose their jobs to the railroad. Paired with current crises like the coronavirus or Russia’s war in Ukraine, the railroad is already creating many economic struggles for the average Kenyan.

Now trapped in this mess, Kenyans feel that change is needed. About 87% of Kenyans believe that the government borrowed too much money from China. Many lawmakers are pushing for the renegotiation of the railway loan. Even the leading candidates in the presidential election are both promising that they will do something about the railroad. The train was supposed to be progress, but it didn’t create any. What is needed is some real progress made by the people and government.