Kenya and Uganda revive stalled railway extensionAFP, NAIROBIThe presidents of Kenya and Uganda yesterday met near their shared border to mark the multi-billion dollar, long-delayed extension of a Chinese-built railway that has left Kenya heavily in debt. Kenya spends roughly US$1 billion a year servicing Chinese debt, most of it borrowed to build the railway. Kenyan President William Ruto, left, and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni launch construction of the Kisumu-Malaba Standard Gauge Railway line in Kisumu yesterday. “The railway is part of the rationalization of our transport system, especially on the Uganda side, which is irrational and wasteful,” he said. China lent Kenya US$9.7 billion between 2000 and 2019, according to the Chinese Loans to Africa Database by Boston University, with around half of that going to the railway.

Source: Taipei Times March 21, 2026 17:15 UTC