#KENYA’S TRANSPORT SECRETARY MACHARIA FAILS TO APPEASE THE NATION OVER SGR CONTROVERSY
(Posted 18th July 2018)
(Does this slogan reflect reality or is it just a window dress)
Kenya’s James Macharia, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, stepped into the proverbial when he made statements earlier in the week to the fact that not only will the contract to run the SGR rail system by a Chinese company extend to 2027 but that the colossal charges of 1.7 billion Kenya Shillings a month are entirely justified.
Defending the indefensible has become a fashion amongst sycophant beneficiaries of the system, almost always in the face of the population and the electorate.
This comes on the back of serious racism allegations in the SGR system which he blamed on the lack of ‘cultural integration‘ without naming the culpable parties nor offering any remedy to this unacceptable level of – so far still alleged – discrimination. Parliament is now investigating the leaked pictures and reports and will no doubt also not take kindly to the Cabinet Secretary trying to gloss over such reports of alleged misconduct and open racism.
Macharia then further raised the heat when he tried to defend the SGR situation and expenditure, over and above already repaying multi billion loans in US Dollars, for the SGR project by saying ‘We launched the service ahead of schedule‘ before adding ‘If this investment is not a success, I wonder what will ever be‘ arrogantly bulldozing aside racism allegations about which the Kenyan population and electorate has a very different view and perspective.
A recent trip on the SGR to Mombasa clearly showed the different level of standing local Kenyan employees have compared to their Chinese supervisors and bosses who strut around, notably looking at everyone around them as ‘Gweilo‘ and worse.
https://atcnews.org/2017/10/09/the-two-faces-of-a-sgr-train-journey-to-mombasa/
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g294207-d12839766-r596946217-Kenya_Railways-Nairobi.html
Other figures given are apparently also causing controversy in comparison with recent revelations made by local Kenyan media in regard of staffing numbers, which triggered a renewed and intensified campaign to reign in excesses against local Kenyan staff.
