Kampala – The first phase of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) construction is scheduled to commence in March next year and will run until October. The 272-kilometre line is projected to cost $2.2 billion.
Project Manager Engineer Perez Wamburu disclosed the details while addressing journalists at the Media Centre in Kampala. He outlined the funding structure, revealing that the Ugandan government will contribute 15% of the cost. The remaining 85% will be financed through export credit agencies (60%) and development financing (25%).
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"The project is progressing well after identifying a contractor who will be handling the groundbreaking, identifying the soils where work will be commencing at."
Wamburu also confirmed that the land acquisition process is 80% complete, covering affected persons in nine districts, including Buikwe, Tororo, and Mayuge. He added that the government has concluded most of the feasibility studies.
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"The project has finalized the process of compensation where this has gone by 80%... most of the feasibility study has been conducted by the government."
The entire construction phase is expected to last 48 months. The SGR is a major East African infrastructure project aimed at significantly improving regional transportation. Its progress in Uganda follows the signing of the initial project agreement by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
