Construction of the second phase of a railroad line in Kenya connecting Nairobi and Naivasha, which is set to pass through a national park, will not affect the ecology of the area, a Chinese contractor has assured.
Steve Zhao, the spokesman for China Communications Construction Company, says top environmental guidelines will be observed during construction of phase 2A of the Standard Gauge Railway which passes through Nairobi National Park, CCE News reported.
“We are committed to adhering to the recommendations set by Kenya Wildlife Service in efforts to offer minimal disruption to the flora and fauna in the national park,” said Zhao.
Objections
Conservationists in Kenya are opposed to the construction of the project along the Nairobi National Park saying it poses a serious threat to endangered animal species such as the black rhinos. The park is located near the capital Nairobi and is a major tourist attraction. Apart from the black rhinos, the park is also home to lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, buffaloes, giraffes, wildebeests among others.
Early this month, a lobby group in Kenya requested international donors against funding KWS accusing the organization of not working to protect animals.
KWS has maintained that passage of the standard gauge railway line through the Nairobi National park was a necessary evil. Chairman Richard Leakey says that while a railway line should not ideally cut through any park, underdevelopment was a Kenyan reality and KWS could only make the best of the difficult situation in which they found themselves.
A total of seven possible routes were considered for phase two of the SGR, two of which did not pass through Nairobi National Park.
The government however, says the current design was picked as the most cost-effective and technically feasible.
