Friends of the Rail Forum

On May 31st Kenya celebrated the inauguration of the first phase of the new high-speed rail link from Mombasa to Nairobi. Now Kenyans can travel between the two largest cities quickly and cheaply. Accelerated movement of cargo and people will mean more trade, more income generation, and therefore, more jobs, and that’s good for our youthful nation.

Much less widely reported were results of studies... which reveal that Kenya’s wildlife numbers are plummeting. Some of our most treasured animals, such as hirola, rhinos, cheetah, lions, and giraffe, are being pushed to the brink of extinction...

The damage caused by the poor planning of dams, farms, ports, roads and railways is rapidly outpacing our ability to respond...

the impact of the Nairobi–Mombasa railway on elephants in Tsavo National Park and the—in my view—disastrous decision to route Phase 2 of the railway through Nairobi National Park...