Kenya, Uganda Open Rail Extension Burdened By Chinese Debt

Nairobi (AFP) – The presidents of Kenya and Uganda met near their shared border Saturday to mark the multi-billion-dollar, long-delayed extension of a Chinese-built railway that has left Kenya heavily in debt.

The Standard Gauge Railway, built from 2013 to 2019, connects the Kenyan port of Mombasa to its capital Nairobi, and on to the lake town of Naivasha, but China refused further lending before it could be extended to Uganda as planned.

Kenya now spends roughly $1 billion a year servicing…