HiPipo Money

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• “Bright days ahead for railway sector”: Cabinet Secretary Kamau
• First major investment in locomotives on the Uganda-Kenya railway in 20 years
• Governments reiterate commitment to support the concessionaire

Regional rail operator, Rift Valley Railways has been commended for its investments in improving railway infrastructure in Kenya and Uganda and for recent improvement in operational performance, including the speed of moving rail freight from the port of Mombasa.

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony of three American built locomotives, part of a consignment of 20 acquired by RVR, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Eng. MichaelKamau said: “Taking cognizance of the investment made and the work in progress by RVR there indications that this Public Private Partnership is turning the corner and there are encouraging signs of bright days ahead in the railway sector which will positively impact many other sectors of the economy”.

The locomotives, purchased at a cost of ksh2.3 billion will be delivered over the next five months. Kamau said the commissioning was significant as it marks the first time locomotives have been brought into Kenya or Uganda since 1987.

He continued, “We are encouraged to see noteworthy recent improvements in operational performance, particularly in cargo transit time and the speed of evacuating cargo from the port”.

Eng. Kamau reiterated the government’s commitment to supporting RVR’s investment and growth goals and to provide an environment that will allow railway operations to thrive. 

Talking about what the arrival of the locomotives meant to the concession KarimSadek managing director of RVR’s majority shareholderQalaa holdings said:“These new locomotives, combined with the impact of our program to recondition existing locos and refurbish rolling stock, will have a transformative impact on the concession’s performance, doubling haulage capacity this fiscal year”.

He noted that Qalaa as a long term African Investment holding company shared the vision of both governments of building RVR into a robust and efficient transport and logistics provider that can boost regional growth and trade”.

Speaking on behalf of the financiers International Finance Corporation director for Eastern and Southern Africa OumarSeydi said “As both a lender and shareholder in RVR, IFC welcomes the investment in locomotives which will improve freight capacity and operational efficiency. IFC remains committed to the turnaround of RVR as the railway network is a vital trade link, and once fully restored, will open up markets, create jobs and spur economic growth in East Africa”.

Highlighting the impact improvements in RVR’ commercial operations have had as a result of investments in rolling stock and infrastructure Charles Mbire a shareholder the company through Bomi holdings stated that said “many of the large multinational companies in the region including the largest steel manufacturer Roofing’s have taken note of the positive developments at RVR and have started shifting most of their cargo to rail a move that will significantly reduce the pressure on our already overburdened road network”.

The arrival of the locomotives is the latest in a series of projects RVR has recently launched aimed at improving railway operations, In July, RVR commissioned two high capacity railway track maintenance machines that automate and hasten track restoration. While in August the company of took delivery of a state of the art rail simulator which will be used to train and improve the skills of RVR train drivers.

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Housemate Profiles

Kenya

Alusa

Age: 33

Actor, Radio Drama Director and MC Alusafrom Nairobi, Kenya, is married and has three children. His favourite food is ugali with chicken stew and traditional vegetables. His favourite book is TD Jakes’ He-Motions and he likes watching National Geographic, The Exes and Nigerian movies on TV. On the music front, he enjoys listening to Sauti-Sol, Mafikizolo, P.Square, YoussouN’Dour and Salif Keita. One of his favourite films, Training Day, features one of his favourite actors: Denzel Washington.

Describing himself as ‘ambitious, spiritual, out-spoken, generous and mysterious’, Alusa likes people who are ‘detailed’ and who have a good sense of humour, because he likes to laugh. He doesn’t enjoy people who ‘emit negative energy’.

He entered Big Brother Hotshots for the exposure, as well as the intrigue of living with total strangers in a closed environment and the desire to share his lifestyle with a huge audience. Alusa is looking forward to having the continent watching him: ‘I’m an artist, a performer, so I love attention. I’m not in the least bit intimidated, in fact, I’m thrilled’

Alusa lists Mombasa and his village of Kakamega as his favourite places in Kenya, because they’re both very exotic in their ways and rich culture. He says the best thing about Africa is the people. ‘Africans are both beautiful in form and diverse culture,’ he says. Outside of Africa, his favourite place is Brazil. ‘Rich culture, beautiful women, sweet samba music, festivals, food – I could go on and on,’ he says.

Uganda

Ellah

Age: 23

Ellahis a Sales Assistant with a BSc in Business Computing from Nsambya, Uganda. She lists her favourite foods as ravioli, rice and chicken and her favourite books as Think Like A Man, Act Like A Lady, and Nice Girls Don’t Get Rich. She enjoys watching Reality shows like Real Housewives of Atlanta, New York and Orange County. Her favourite singers include India Arie, August Alsina, Beyonce, Rihanna and Sam Smith.

Her favourite place in Uganda is the Lake Bunyonyi Resort and she says the best thing about Africa is ‘the warmness of the people’. Outside of her home country, she says Cambodia is ‘a hidden gem and somewhat a free country’. Ellah has 12 brothers and sisters and says her Mom is her role model: ‘her strength and character captivate me’.

Ellah is most proud of having become Miss Uganda 2013/14 because ‘it was a stiff competition and a strong test for me’. She was inspired to enter Big Brother Hotshots because of the fact that ‘it unites Africa and also is a platform for me to advance’. She says she’s ‘super excited and is looking forward to being on the show.

She describes herself as ‘charismatic, bitchy, outspoken, loving and sophisticated’ and says that she’s ‘strong and determined’. She values ‘honesty, charisma and joyfulness’ in others, but dislikes ‘lies and fakeness’.If she wins the grand prize, Ellah will buy cars for her mom and invest the rest in real estate.

Zimbabwe

Butterphly

Age: 24

Butterphly is a Radio, Television Presenter and Producer from Harare. She lists her favourite foods as meat, pasta with cheese, black-eyed peas and eggs. Her favourite books include the Bible, The Firm, The Long Goodbye, and the Sherlock Holmes series. She likes to watch Chopped, 24, Intelligence and Big Brother Africa.

Butterphly entered Big Brother Hotshots because she’d always wanted to be part of a national sports team, but never got the chance. ‘Being on Big Brother Africa will allow me to take the opportunity to market myself and expand my brand’. She says she won’t use ‘backstabbing and cheating’ or immoral and unethical methods to get the prize. If she wins, she’ll send her sister, brother and kids to really good schools, start a chain of unique food, social and fashion hangout joints and take her mom shopping.

Describing herself as ‘unique, feisty, mysterious, fun-loving and witty’, Butterphly says that people are always shocked when they discover that she’s humble, compassionate and kind. She likes other people with a sense of humour, honour and truthfulness, and dislikes ‘dishonesty and people who pretend to like a person’.

Her mom is her role model: ‘she put her life on pause so ours could play. She’s the hardest working woman I know’. Butterphly says she draws influence from ‘all sorts of people’. ‘Ordinary, young, dead, legends – in everyone’s life story I try to extract important lessons like resilience, faith, strength etc. I learn as much as I can from the people I meet or read about,’ she says.

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Emirates, aglobal connector of people and places, and one of the fastest growing international airlines in the world, has a fleet of more than 220 aircraft and flies to over 140 destinations in more than 80 countries. It also boasts a rewards and loyalty program for its frequent flyers. The program called Emirates Skywards seeks to reward passengers with an extensive range of privileges and benefits.  We caught up with Thani Al Ansari, the Emirates Airlines Country Manager for Uganda to tell us more. Below are the excerpts;

Qn: What is Emirates Skywards and how does it work?

Emirates Skywards is a frequent flyer program that lets you accumulate miles in different ways and also enhances your travel experience with a wide range of services and benefits. There are two types of miles in this program, Skywards Miles and tier miles.

Skywards Milesare mainly earned through Emirates flights which are calculated on the basis of route, class, faretype and membership tier. You can also earn miles from the Emirates Skywards partners and various promotions. Members of the programme can alsoearnmiles even on discounted or special fares. Tier Miles on the other handare accumulated only when you fly with Emirates. Earning more Tier Miles helps you reach the next membership tier, and unlike Skywards Miles, cannot be ‘spent’ on rewards. However, building up your tier status from Blue all the way up to Platinum will give you access to a wider range of promotions, services, and benefits. Members can earn additional bonus miles when they fly First Class or Business Class.

Within Skywards, we also have Skysurfers, our frequent flyer programme for young travellers aged two to 16, who can collect Miles for treats like free flights, Apple iPods, games and the latest fashion accessories. Your Miles don’t expire for three years so you can save up for something you really want. You’ll also get your own membership card and have even more fun when flying with Emirates thanks to extra special treatment and club benefits.

Skysurfers earn Miles at the same rate as Emirates Skywards members, and you can graduate to Silver or Gold membership just like the rest of the family. All you need to do to earn or spend your Miles is quote your membership number at the time of booking. A parent or guardian’s signature is needed to join and to redeem Miles for rewards.

We also have provisions for all our small to medium-sized businesses and organisations. Total enrolment per organisation may not exceed 80 individuals. All individual members must be registered with Emirates Skywards. Individuals may be removed from an organisation’s Business Rewards account at any time, but no more than 80 new enrolments can be made within a 12-month period.

To earn Business Rewards Miles, flights are booked through your nominated travel agent or Emirates Contact Centres and one simply quotes their Business Rewards number. Or,booking can be done via Business Rewards booking engine on emirates.com to earn Business Rewards Miles. You earn 1 Mile for each USD 1 spent on the base airfare, before surcharges, taxes, and other industry partner charges (which are not included in Miles accrual).

Miles are calculated at the end of each month for travel completed within the month. Earned Miles are fully redeemable by the 18th day of the following month of travel. Miles are valid for three years from the date which they are earned.

Individual members will continue to earn Skywards Miles as your organisation earns Business Rewards Miles for the same flights

Qn: You spoke about tiers. Could you shed some more light on what these tiers are?

Well, there are different tiers that come with special packages. We have Blue, Silver, Gold and Platinum tiers.

The Emirates Skywards membership starts with the Blue Tier. Here, you get access to special member-only travel offers, earn miles with global partners, and are placed on the waitlist priority if you are a Skywards Blue member. Your preferences will be retained to enable Emirates staff to provide you with better service. You can also book your Emirates flight using your Skywards Miles online.

The Silver membership offers all the benefits of the Blue tier plus extra service at the airport such as priority check in and boarding, excess baggage allowance, and access to the Emirates lounge in Dubai. As a holder of the silver membership, you’ll also earn 25% bonus Skywards Miles when flying.

Gold membership gets you even more world-class service from Emirates staff. This membership has all the benefits of silver membership plus priority service through the contact centers, guaranteed seats even on fully-booked flights, lounge access throughout the Emirates network, and lounge access for guests. You can also ask for priority baggage delivery when you need it. You’ll also earn 50% bonus Skywards Miles when flying.

The Platinum tier is the highest membership tier in Emirates Skywards. It gives you all the benefits of Gold membership plus ‘last seat’ Skywards flex reward tickets which allow you to redeem points for a business or economy class ticket even on flights with restricted availability or high demand. Under this membership you can also nominate someone to share the privileges with you, and they’ll receive a Gold Skywards membership. You’ll also earn 75% bonus Skywards Miles when flying. So it pays really to be on the Emirates Skywards program.

Qn: How does one join this program?

It’s easy and costs nothing to join. You can join by filling in a short application on emirates.com or even when you are on board a flight. You can start enjoying the benefits immediately. 

Qn: What other additional advantage is there with being a member of Emirates Skywards?

One of the best benefits is that members can redeem their Skywards Miles for reward tickets and upgrades to a host of exciting destinations with Emirates and partner airlines (Alaska Airlines, EasyJet, Japan Airlines, Jet Airways, JetBlue, Jetstar, Korean Air, Qantas, South African Airways, TAP Portugal, and Virgin America.), as per Emirates Skywards Terms & Conditions.

Many hotels offer Emirates Miles for paid stays including international chains Fairmont, Hilton Worldwide,Hyatt Hotels & Resorts,InterContinental Hotels Group,Marriott International, Starwood Hotels & Resorts and several other brands such as Crown Hotels and Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts. For instance, at the Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, you can earn 500 Miles per eligible stay, and at Starwood Hotels & Resorts, you can earn up to 3Miles per every $1 spent.

Also, several tourist attractions in Dubai offer Miles, such as the Ski Dubai indoor ski slope and the Wild Wadi Water Park.

Earning Miles quickly is naturally one of the things our frequent flyers really care about. Every Emirates flight earns Miles, even special offers.

You can redeem Skywards Miles on Emirates flights which do not have blackout dates for members who want to redeem reward flights. Aside from flights, the points you accumulate on the card can also be used to claim lifestyle and shopping rewards on partner companies and on the Emirates High Street – our online shopping site which offers an extensive range of global luxury brands and everyday items and accessories comprising over 400 products.

Qn: What should Ugandans look forward to from Emirates?

The frequency of our flights to Uganda is a huge plus for our Ugandan customers. We have daily flights out of Entebbe which translates into 1,806 seats per week. With a seat configuration comprising 12 First class, 42 business Class and 204 Economy class, our passengers have variety to choose from. We also use an Airbus A340 500 air craft, on which customers can enjoy gourmet cuisines, award winning inflight entertainment, service from out multi-national cabin crew and generous baggage allowance across all three classes. There is a lot to look forward to on all our flights, which offer real value for money.

Qn: Finally, how profitable is the Ugandan route?

We have seen growth in passenger numbers; both incoming and outgoing traffic. For instance, we have realized a 9% growth as of June 2014 compared to last year. We strongly believe that these figures will only get better. 

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Ten staff members and one government official were trained in advanced skills

This year, CNOOC Uganda Limited sent ten of their staff members to China for a comprehensive training ability program.

This program which was launched in 2014, is part of CNOOC Uganda’s efforts to increase the national content participation in the Oil and Gas industry as well as equip Ugandans with advanced skills to improve their livelihoods. Itincludes oil and gas introductory modules that willintroduce staff to not only the technical aspects of the Ugandan project but also to CNOOC philosophies and the CNOOC culture.

This year, ten top performers from different departments at CNOOC Uganda and one government official from the Petroleum Exploration and Production Department in Uganda were trained in different advanced skills, such as QHSE Management and best practices, Introduction to E&P, Project Management for the oil and gas industry, International business communications, Enhanced oil recovery as well as Communication and presentation skills for project managers.

During the training, the participants also visited many different CNOOC sites around the country. Some of these included the CNOOC Engineering Base, CNOOC Refinery Plant, CNOOC Nature Gas Terminal, CNOOC-Shell Petrochemical Plant and CNOOC Exhibition Center.

“The training helped me understand the whole cycle of oil production and the whole cycle of oil production. I will be in position to respond to stakeholder queries in a more informed manner.” Said David Byaruhanga , the Community Relations Manager who was one of the trainees.

According to Aminah Bukenya, the Public Relations Supervisor at CNOOC Uganda Limited, “Visiting the different sites provided an overview and a big picture to our staff about the value chain of the Oil and Gas industry.” “CNOOC Uganda hopes that from the training, the staff will gain a better understanding of the project that they are carrying out here in Uganda and relay whatever was learnt into their daily work,” she added.

This announcement comes only a week after the same company held a dinner to send off five students who had been awarded full scholarships to study petroleum related courses inUniversity of Petroleum in China (Hua Dong).

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• 20 General Electric trains to overcome major obstacle to ramping up volumes

Regional railway operator, Rift Valley Railways has secured a Ush50 billion asset financing deal with Standard Bank of South Africa and CFC Stanbic Bank towards the acquisition of the 20 locomotives it is acquiring from the USA.

Standard Bank will be providing Ush50 billion ($20 million), or 80% of the price while RVR will provide the remainder of theUsh12.5 billion ($5 million) total amount.

“Insufficient locomotive power is the single biggest obstacle preventing a step change in the amount of volumes we transport”, said Carlos Andrade, RVR’s group CEO. “This new financing not only clears this bottleneck but is also a vote of confidence by a major international lender in our operations as it is premised on revenues to be generated by the trains”.

According to Standard Bank, a leading African arranger of asset financing,rail asset deals of this scale remain relatively rare in East Africa.

“Asset based financing is premised on projected cash flows of the asset being financed. Our due diligence on RVR gave us confidence that this investment proposal will indeed generate the revenue streams to service the loan”, said Kwame Parker, Head of Power and Infrastructure East Africa for Standard Bank.

The first three of the 20 General Electric locomotivesRVR has acquired arrivedin Mombasaearly September with full delivery expected by April next year. When added to locomotives being rehabilitated in the rail operator’s Nairobi workshop the trains will double RVR’s mainline locomotive fleet, substantially increasing its freight haulage capacity in Kenya and Uganda.

On-going wagon rehabilitation in Nairobi and Kampala is expected to bring the number of wagons to 2,400, more than double the current fleet, by June next year.  

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Airtel Uganda continued its exciting call and win campaign where they’re giving out smart phones, cars, money and free minutes to call Airtel numbers to their customers. The people of Kawempe were hosted to a gala of music, dance and drama as they attended the Airtel Call and Win drive.

The lucky winner was Ronald Rutunda, a Kawempe coffee trader who drove away with a brand new Toyota Klugger. Among other winners were five lucky residents who won phones (Samsung S5). So far Airtel has given out three cars and it will continue to give out more.

Speaking at the event, Allan Njagala the Airtel Sales Representative said; “Airtel aims to continue giving back to its customers and show appreciation for their continued support. We at Airtel believe we can add value to our customers’ lives through such promotions that encourage them to make phone calls.”

Participating at the gala were; Pallaso, Sheebah, Mc Kapale and many other artists.

Call and Win is a campaign that is meant to encourage Airtel Customers make more phone calls and get rewarded. It is a campaign that sees Airtel give back to the customer for the continued use of its services.This campaign is a gesture of giving back to all Airtel subscribers who make calls on a daily basis.

The criteria

Every customer that makes a call automatically get 2 free minutes.

Then he/she stands a chance to win:

• 5 smart phones to be won daily.
• CARS (Toyota Kluggers) up for grabs

And a GRAND prize of 100m Shillings cash. 

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In a move to increase service delivery and in keeping with their commitment to education, Equity Bank Uganda has rolled out an education loan product with the aim of supporting and easing the burden of school fees payments.  Equity Bank offers parents who require financing in a short time an opportunity to pay school fees for their children conveniently.

The loan facility, which is available to all Equity Bank account holders who have had an operational account, has a flexible payment period and offers customers the safety of knowing that loans will be processed fast.

Customers can also get a bank draft for school fees payment at only UGX 8,000 or deposit school fees at any Equity Bank branch at an affordable fee.

 Commenting on the move, Equity Bank Uganda Ag Managing Director, Apollo Njoroge noted that, “Users of the loan facility will be able to apply for the service in any of our 31 branches countrywide with easy repayment terms.”

“Through expanding access to support services in the provision of education, Equity Bank is responding to the challenges faced by parents. This service solidifies the bank’s commitment to providing solutions to deal with the challenges faced in delivering quality, comprehensive education to all children,” he added

 “In numerical terms, this translates to hundreds of thousands of academically-promising young people in Uganda losing out on opportunities to attend primary and secondary school due to a lack of financial resources,” he concluded

Despite a concerted effort by many parents to provide their children with access to primary and secondary schools, the task is often impossible if they are not financially able. Equity Bank hopes to address this issue by providing consumer centric solutions that address the needs and aspirations of its customers.

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Bharti Airtel Limited, a leading global telecommunications services provider with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa [through its subsidiary company Bharti Airtel International (Netherlands) BV (“Airtel”)] and Eaton Towers, a leading independent telecoms tower company in Africa, today announced an agreement for the divestment of over 3500 telecoms towers from Airtel to Eaton Towers.

Highlights: 

• Airtel to sell and lease back over 3500 towers to Eaton in 6 countries across its African operations under a 10-year contract.
• Expands Eaton Towers’ coverage in Africa to 7 countries with over 5000 towers. 
• Follows Airtel’s and Eaton Towers’ strategies to drive cost efficiencies throughout the industry via the use of shared passive infrastructure.

 The agreements will allow Airtel to focus on its core business and customers, enable it to deleverage through debt reduction, and will significantly reduce its on-going capital expenditure on passive infrastructure.

 For Eaton Towers, the acquisition is a major step towards the scale needed to provide shared telecoms infrastructure solutions, with its customers benefiting from lower operating costs, expanded network coverage and capacity and improved quality of service.

 The agreements are subject to statutory and regulatory approvals in the respective countries.

 Commenting on the development, Manoj Kohli, Chairman, Bharti Airtel International Netherlands BV (BAIN), said:

 “We are delighted to announce this agreement, which represents the next phase of Airtel’s growth journey in Africa. We are the pioneers and strong proponents of telecoms infrastructure sharing, which results in industry-wide cost efficiencies. The agreement with Eaton Towers is an extension of this philosophy and will lead to far superior utilisation of passive infrastructure and help drive the proliferation of affordable mobile services across Africa.”

Alan Harper, CEO of Eaton Towers added: “This is a transformational deal which gives Eaton Towers the most diversified tower portfolio across Africa. We are proud to be chosen by Airtel as their key partner in these 6 countries.”

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Agnes Kasso, a resident of Nabweru, an outskirt of Kampala is one happy woman. She has emerged as the first jack pot winner of 10 million shillings in the on-going MTN lottery game named ‘MTN Kaja’.

Kasso, who received her cheque from MTN officials at the Clock Tower MTN Service Centre,expressed surprise and happiness at her luck. Overwhelmed with joy and happiness, Kasso said; “Thank you MTN, Thank you MTN, I thank you wholeheartedly. You have turned my life around. See how God has used MTN to change my life. I now believe that MTN is serious about changing our living conditions.” Kasso, a single mother of two said.

Kasso operates a small restaurant in Nabweru Trading center. She said she tried the MTN Kaja game on 10^th September, a decision that may now change her life for good.

She has appealed to Ugandans to embrace MTN and all the initiatives that are launched, adding that her win is testimony to the fact that MTN is a people friendly company that gives backto its customers.

MTN Uganda in partnership with SMS2bet recently launched a new exciting lottery game named MTN Kaja where customers who subscribe are entered into a daily draw to winseveral cash prizes of up to 40 million shillings or airtime.

Handing over the cheque to Kasso, MTN’s acting Chief Marketing Officer Kenneth Kiddu said the brand has staked millions of shillings for customers to win on daily a basis.

He advised customers to follow the mechanics and enter the promotion by dialing *178# and select “subscribe” to be entered in the daily draws.

“MTN is committed to continue providing the best services on the market andthe Kaja gameis another innovation that we have created to empower the lives of our customers by enabling them to win prizes that have the potential to positively change their lives forever”, Mr. Kiddu said.

According to Kiddu, the promotion is open to all MTN customersand everyone who participates stands an equal chance of winning including the grand cash prize of 40 million shillings.

Draws are conducted daily to determine the winning number(s) and one MTNnumber is randomly drawnto win daily. Anycustomer who plays Kaja andwhose mobile number constitutes 8 digits of the drawn number reading sequentially from right to left will win the grand prize of 40 million shillings.

All other customers who play Kaja and whose mobile numbers constitute 7 to 2 digits of the drawn number, reading from right to left sequentially, will also win other great cash and airtime prizes.  All winners will be notified by SMS and big cash prize winners will be contacted using telephone number 0776 986 178. 

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China Harbor Engineering Company (CHEC), the Chinese state-owned company contracted by the government of Uganda to develop Uganda’snew standard gauge railway network, has dismissed newspaper reports that it is one of the Engineering firms blacklisted by World Bank over fraud and corruption.

A source from aBeijing based Consultant said no international organization has ever put CHEC on its blacklist.

“There must be a misunderstanding. One of the subsidiaries of CHEC’s Mother Company was put on the blacklist before CHEC became part of the group. The World Bank’s debarment of China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) originated from the alleged engagement in collusive practices by China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) UNDER World Bank-financed road projects in Philippines. The alleged event happened in 2002 where as CCCC was established in 2005. Indeed, at the time of the allegation, CHEC was a fully independently operated company and was totally irrelevant to CRBC as well as the alleged engagement in collusive practices. That is the reason why the World Bank’s debarment on CCCC only applies to “projects related to roads and bridges”.

In a related development, the Chinese Transport Ministry has written to Ministry of Works and Transport of Uganda endorsing CHEC as a company with strong capability and30-year international operation experience to implement the railway project in Uganda.

The letter said CHEChas completed/is constructing several railways projects in China including the two contract packages of high speed rail which forms part of the Lanzhou to Xinjiang and Shanghai to Kunming High speed rail network

“These high speed (250 km/h) railways have higher technical and engineering requirements than the standard 120 km/h railways such as Uganda’s standard gauge railway” the letter stated. Adding that;

“Chinese government is very aware of CHEC’s capacity in most sectors of infrastructure, including rail. Because of government’s confidence in CHEC, the rail sections awarded to it are often very complex and geologically complicated”. Said a letter signed by Chinese Transport Minister Yang Chuantang. The East African Community member states have set March 2018 as the target for the upgrading of the regional railway network to standard gauge system.

CHEC officials have said as part of the partnership with UPDF, the company has embarked on preparations to build a pioneering UPDF Corps of Engineers by training army officers in infrastructure development.