Kenya Bets $39 Billion on Roads and Trains, But Will It Pay Off?

When construction of a new railway linking Kenya’s two biggest cities began in 2013, the project was hailed as a “historic milestone” that would transform East Africa. The route was to stretch almost 600 miles from the port of Mombasa, through the highland capital of Nairobi, to the shores of Lake Victoria and on to the Ugandan border. Today the tracks cover less than two-thirds of the way, and parts of the line see only three trains a week. Kenyans call it the “railway to nowhere.”

President William Ruto at a groundbreaking ceremony for an extension of the train past Narok.

Photographer: Xinhua/Shutterstock

President William Ruto is betting a revival of the stalled project ...