Kenya, 26 June 2018: During the 14th Northern Corridor Infrastructure Projects (NCIP) held in Nairobi Kenya, East African Heads of State have praised Kenya’s progress in the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR).

Leaders attended the 14th Summit on the Northern Corridor Integration Projects (NCIP) were particularly impressed by Kenya's commitment to a modern railway network, having completed and launched the first phase of the SGR from Mombasa to Nairobi and commissioned the second phase from Nairobi to Naivasha which is currently at 50% of construction.

"The Mombasa-Nairobi section of the SGR is already transporting an increasing number of passengers and cargo,” the leaders noted in a joint communique released at the close of the summit held in Nairobi.

President Kagame thanked President Uhuru Kenyatta for hosting the summit after a two-year break.

“I thank President Uhuru Kenyatta for hosting and re-convening us after a two-year break to continue with the momentum we had started for our region, coming together and working on joint projects for the benefit of our countries and people,” President Kagame said.

According to President of Rwanda H.E. Paul Kagame, “There is always going to be a lot of work to do but this moment provides an opportunity to re-examine what has been done and what we still need to do.”

The President thanked all parties involved in ensuring the regional integration projects come into force, particularly, the Ministers and support teams that have worked hard to give a sense of direction and organize ways to implement the necessary work.

Speaking at the close of the conference, Uhuru underscored the immense benefits of the joint interventions initiated under the NCIP since its inception in 2013.

President Kenyatta assured his colleagues that Kenya will sustain the momentum with the remaining phases of the SGR to reach the Kenya-Uganda border town of Malaba.

The Heads of State directed the Ministers concerned to conclude the financing agreements for Naivasha-Kisumu, Kisumu-Malaba, Malaba- Kampala sections by September 2018. The further directed that application for financing of Kampala-Bihanga-Mirama-Kigali, Tororo-Gulu-Nimule/ Guku- Pakwach sections be expedited.

The Heads of State directed their respective Ministers to ensure that Cluster meetings are held once every two months to effectively follow up on the implementation of Summit conclusions and agreed to hold the next summit in Kigali, Rwanda.