President William Ruto has promised to extend the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from Naivasha to Uganda.
The President said that the agreement was arrived at following discussions with Uganda, Rwanda and DRC.
Ruto said the move aimed at enhancing bilateral ties among the four nations.
“We have agreed that the SGR will be extended from Naivasha to Uganda, Rwanda and DRC so that in a few years, they too can use the SGR whenever they come to Mombasa and for us to use the SGR whenever we want to go to those countries,” he said.
The President said that infrastructures like SGR are important to integrate the region.
“As leaders, MPs and as East Africans, the integration of Africa will be led by the integration of East Africa. East Africa today is the most progressive economic community in Africa,” he said.
MPs travelled by Standard Gauge Railway to Mombasa for the 14th East African Community (EAC) Inter-Parliamentary Games.
The President lauded them for using the SGR instead of opting for air travel.
The decision to travel to the coastal city by rail is part of cost-cutting measures put in place by Parliament.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula on Tuesday ordered SGR bookings for all MPs, himself included.
"Today, MPs from across Kenya are travelling to Mombasa for the East African Legislative Assembly Parliamentary (EALA) Games, which bring together parliaments from eight East African Community (EAC) states: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, DR Congo, South Sudan, and Somalia," Wetang'ula said.
The government has been implementing a raft of measures to cut down on expenditure.
In June, the government announced it would cut down on various costs, including; dissolving at least 47 state corporations with overlapping functions.
The government also scrapped budgetary provisions for confidential budgets in various Executive offices among other measures.
While the austerity measures are meant to reduce public expenditure, questions have been raised about what the consequent effect will be on Kenyans.
