Kenya and the RVR concession

[John Ashworth]

KENYA & THE RVR CONCESSION

Posted on 21 May 2009 by Railways Africa Editor

The government of Kenya has drawn up recommendations for dealing with the Rift Valley Railways (RVR) concession, which came into force in 2006 and runs for 25 years.. President Mwai Kibaki wants the cabinet to ratify a re-negotiated agreement between Kenya, Uganda and the RVR consortium. A number of changes are proposed to the concessionaire’s shareholding and leadership structure. Ugandan minister for works John Byagambi announced recently that his government has secured $US8.5 million to “cushion itself against any adverse effects that termination of the concession might cause.” According to the publication Capital Business, “though RVR urgently needs new money to revamp the operation, it has not been able to take new investors on board because this requires approval by both governments.”