The cost of the standard gauge railway has been inflated by Sh50 billion, ODM chairman John Mbadi has said.
He said the railway has been re-routed to Naivasha and Eldoret to pass through the land of influential people in the Jubilee government. This will increase the value of the land.
“According to the initial plan it was not supposed to pass through a private property as it is currently,” Mbadi said. He said the SGR plan was drawn up by the Grand Coalition Government, in which he was an assistant minister.
Mbadi spoke on Tuesday during a morning radio talk show on Ramogi FM. The Suba MP said this is a clear indication the Jubilee government champions ethnic polarisation.
The first batch of locomotives were received at the Port Reitz station, Mombasa.
Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia, who was on hand to receive them, said the first phase of the project is ahead of schedule and the contractor is putting the finishing touches on it and testing.
Macharia said President Uhuru Kenyatta will commission the train service on May 31 in Mombasa.
