Feature: Kenyan rural dwellers eye benefits from China funded railway project

Michael Mutuku has been a victim of harsh elements, impassable roads and market volatility that blights millions of Kenyan smallholder farmers.

Nevertheless, the 30-year-old father has refused to give up on a vocation that was bequeathed to him by his ancestors and is convinced better days lie ahead.

Born and raised in the vast semi arid plains of Makueni County, Mutuku was exposed to hunger pangs and deprivation at a tender age.

He remembers vividly the desolation that engulfed his ancestral village two decades ago when a prolonged drought destroyed crops and livestock in every homestead.

Thanks to investments in a water pan and a green house, Mutuku is currently a decorated farmer in his locality and earns substantial revenue from selling fresh produce and milk in the nearby towns.

Mutuku grows maize, vegetables and fruits in his small farm located a few meters from China funded Standard Gauge Railway that snakes through the vast plains in lower eastern parts of Kenya.

During an interview with Xinhua on Friday, Mutuku was upbeat about the completion of the China funded modern Railway which will unleash immense benefits to his ancestral village.

"Everyone is happy that for the first time, a modern railway line will pass through our village. The new railway line will boost transport of farm produce to the markets. It will also lower the cost of travel to Mombasa and Nairobi," said Mutuku.

He witnessed the laying of tracks on Standard Gauge Railway during a trial demonstration carried out by China Roads and Bridges Corporation (CRBC) at section six of the project.

Ever the optimist, Mutuku said completion of the SGR project will mark a critical milestone in his life as a rural farmer.

"Poor transport infrastructure has been one of the greatest challenge to farming. However, the new railway line will address that hiccup once and for all. We look forward to greater market access courtesy of the Standard Gauge Railway," Mutuku told Xinhua.

He is not alone in anticipating better days ahead with the completion of a mega infrastructure project that will boost regional integration and trade.

Virginia Muli, a middle aged mother of four, said construction of the Standard Gauge Railway will benefit present and future generations.

Muli got a windfall when construction of the modern railway line commenced last year.

She has been selling food and beverages to workers stationed at section six of the SGR project site in Makueni County.

"My catering business has expanded thanks to huge demand for heavy meals, fruits and porridge by the workers at the SGR project. I have been able to feed, clothe and educate my children with little struggle unlike before," said Muli.

She believes the railway will enhance movement to nearby towns to enable her explore new markets for cooked food.

The China funded modern railway line has created an estimated 25,000 jobs for Kenyans.

Likewise, Kenyan entrepreneurs have reaped from the SGR windfall through supply of construction materials like cement, sand and steel bars.

Rural communities that have endured the pain of walking for miles in muddy roads to transport farm produce in the nearby markets are upbeat the days of agony are over.

Anastasia Nduku, a mother of five, has been on the receiving end for decades whenever storm waters cut off her entire village from the rest of the world.

"The feeder roads in our village are impassable whenever it rains making it difficult for us to connect to the outside world. Sometimes, a bumper harvest is lost in the farms due to poor transport," said Nduku.

A consummate small holder farmer for the last three decades, Nduku is optimistic the Standard Gauge Railway will address transportation woes that are to blame for her village`s rampant poverty.

"It will be possible to shuttle from one town to another in search of better markets for our produce once the railway line is completed. This is the greatest gift to land in our village," Nduku told Xinhua.

As the implementation of the China funded Standard Gauge Railway enters homestretch, Kenyans from all walks of life anticipate immense socio-economic benefits.

Both the east African nation's elite and ordinary citizens agree the modern railway will accelerate industrial transformation.

"The Standard Gauge Railway will have a multiplier effect on key sectors of the economy. It will open a new trade corridor and position the country as an investment hub," remarked James Karanja, a senior official at Kenya Railways Corporation. Enditem