A very interesting development in the realm of infrastructure has been taking place silently in East Africa in the last two years.
The development has seen the conclusion by Kenya and Uganda of a contract with a Chinese company, Roads and Bridge Corporation, to construct a standard railroad (similar to the Tanzania Zambia Railway) that is set to serve the region beyond the two states.
Kenya which had been an avowed West leaning country in the days of Mwalimu Julius Nyerere in Tanzania has lately made a U-turn and is fast making use of the Chinese money and technology.
The East African country’s march towards Beijing started in the early 1980s when Daniel Arap Moi’s administration sought Chinese assistance in the construction of the Kasarani Stadium.
The construction of one of the best stadia in the region was Kenya’s way of testing the water, if you like, of how far they could go in doing business with the Chinese government.
They had looked at their giant, sleeping neighbor to the south with envy when Nyerere and Dr Kenneth Kaunda were courting the Chinese to build them what later became known as Tanzania Zambia Railway(Authority), Tazanara at the height of the liberation war in southern Africa.
Later the growing rift between Kenya and the West which reached its climax with the post-election violence over two years ago finally forced the East African state on the proverbial laps of the Chinese.
Last year, Kenya sought a 16 billion US dollar loan (24 trillion Tanzanian shillings) from the Chinese government for the construction of a standard railroad from its north eastern port of Lamu to the land-locked new Southern Sudan nation and Ethiopia.
The credit will also finance the deepening and expansion of the Lamu port, putting it a strong position to serve the two states to the north.
Thus the latest Kenya/Uganda railroad contract brings to two Kenya government’s major involvement with the Chinese government.
While successive Tanzania governments have failed to draw lessons on the importance of involving the Chinese in the construction of railroads, Kenyans appear to have learnt a lot from Tazara, arguably one of the best railroads in the continent.
It would be recalled that during the El-Nino which destroyed many roads in Tanzania in 1997, Tazara remained intact, a testimony to the Chinese engineering feat.
The railroad goes through one of the most difficult terrains in the continent that provided untold challenges to Chinese engineers during its construction.
At the Mlimba section in Morogoro region where the railroad disappears into a lengthy tunnel like a snake, the line goes through the highest rail point in the continent, with over 1000 meters above sea level!
When Tazara was escaping from the rages of the El-Nino in 1997, the central meter railroad was however, not so lucky. It was put out of action for over six months!
What is however, interesting is that a Chinese company was contracted to build destroyed bridges over the central railway line.
I have always wondered why during the time no one in the ministry of infrastructure development thought about engaging the Chinese in the upgrading of the railway track that needed to be raised up in order to avoid future floods!
Meanwhile, the two Chinese railroad projects in Kenya are certainly not going to be looked at favorably by the West, what with the growing anti-Chinese wind in the continent.
But the question is why are African countries that include those which had been heavily influenced by the West, presently turning to the Chinese?
The answer is very simple. The Chinese are straight forward businessmen. They don’t beat about the bush by engaging in talks, in between business, on adherence to democracy and human rights.
In short, the Chinese are less interested in political chess and other hidden games that are kind of pastime for others.
The African countries’ gate to the Chinese was opened by none other than Tanzania and Zambia, immediately the Chinese leader, Chou en Lai visited Tanzania and made his famous pronouncement about Africa being ready for a revolution.
It all started with the two African countries first providing the continent with a ‘window’ to the Chinese way of doing business.
This is when Tanzania and Zambia engaged the Chinese government in the construction of the 1,800 railroad from Dar es Salaam to Kapiri Mposhi.
The two countries had wanted a railroad for carrying Zambia’s heavy copper ingots after the destruction of the highway between the two countries.
Before then, Zambia had transported its copper ingots and other mineral products through the then Southern Rhodesia (present day Zimbabwe) to the South African ports.
But as part of sanctions against the then rebel Ian Smith who had declared unilateral independence against Britain (UDI), it was important that an alternative, reliable route had be found for Zambia, hence ensure in bringing down the minority racist regime.
Therefore Nyerere and Kaunda contacted the West for credit assistance but were turned down on the ground that it was very expensive project.
The West said they were however, more than ready to finance a road between the two countries.
But the two African leaders were not ready for a road project, given the heavy nature of Zambian goods.
Finally, Nyerere and Kaunda faced the Chinese who immediately moved in and after five years, the railroad was ready for use!
The Chinese government’s pragmatic way of handling urgent issues has seen many African countries approach Beijing for assistance in handling major projects.
It is however, very unfortunate that Tanzania which introduced the Chinese as a people who could do business with the continent, has itself failed to make use of them in solving its present massive infrastructure problems.
Tanzania failed to make use of the Chinese in turning all its railroads in the country into a standard railroad system when the East African Community collapsed in June 1977.
With the departure of Uganda and Kenya from the scene, there was no need for Nyerere’s government then to continue to cling on to an outdated railroad system when it had already seen the benefit of Tazara in terms of its ability to transport heavy goods.
Firstly, had it engaged the Chinese then, it would not have been subjected in the shame it has had to go through during its short-lived marriage with the Indian company.
Secondly, because rail transport is relatively cheaper than other means that include roads, prices of food and other products would have been pan territorial.
Tanzanians would not have reached a point of having to part with more than 2,000 shillings for a kilo of sugar and other food stuff.
What is more, had the Chinese helped in building the central railway line, the 1997 El-Nino would not have had the temerity of doing what it did!
After the El-Nino, one had hoped that the third phase government of President Benjamin Mkapa had learnt its lessons, especially after the central line was put out of action for half a year.
The destruction of the railway line had presented the government with the opportunity of engaging the Chinese into building one of the best railroads in the country.
Unfortunately that opportunity slipped away with the Mkapa’s administration concentrating on roads rather than railroads!
In fact there is nothing that has demonstrated successive Tanzania governments’ lack foresight when it comes to economic priorities than their obsession for construction of roads rather than railroads!
Presently many Tanzanians are complaining about meat prices. But the question is which regions host livestock for Tanzanians’ meat requirement?
Again the answer is simple, central, northern and western regions.
And a quick glance at regions in the foregoing areas show that they heavily depend on roads rather than railroad for transportation of livestock and other goods.
What Tanzanians don’t seem to realize is that meat prices will continue to shoot to the roof as long as Tanzania continue to rely on roads rather railroads.
Indeed, with fuel prices having gone over 2000 shillings per liter, there is no way prices for food and other consumer products are going to go down.
In a nutshell, apart from the present energy crunch that has witnessed endless power rationing in the country, the absence of reliable railroads network in the form of Tazara in the country is the second major reason behind Tanzania’s present economic crisis.
In the government wants to get out of its present economic crisis, it has no alternative but to handle two things as its priorities, urgent construction of standard railroad network and the development of the Stiglier’s Gorge hyrod power project which is capable of providing 2100 megawatts.
Had the present government dealt with the two foregoing projects when it first came to power in 2006, following its landslide victory in the 2005 general elections, it would not have had to face the kind of problems it faced during the last general election last year!
For one to understand the foregoing argument consider the following. The Chinese using old technology in 1970s, spent five years in building 1,800 railroad, and traversing across some of the most difficult terrain in the world, from Dar es Salaam to Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia.
Had the same people been given the massive project of handling the central railway line in 2006 from Dar es Salaam to Kigoma and Mwanza, Tanzanians would have been enjoying the most reliable rail transport in the country by the time they were going to polls last year and one does not need to be Goebel in order to appreciate the massive propaganda the project would have provided to the ruling party, CCM during its election campaigns!
THE KENYAN RAILROAD PROJECT:
The implication of the present Kenya government’s involvement with the Chinese is that sooner than later it will succeed in providing land-locked countries like Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo with the most reliable gateway to the Indian Ocean, a role that is presently played by Tanzania.
It is important for Tanzania to realize that countries like Rwanda and Burundi have lately not been very happy with the services provided by Tanzanian ports, and in particular, Dar es Salaam where thefts of goods that go the port has been elevated to an industry.
Therefore once the Kenya, Uganda railway is completed, Tanzania is likely to lose both Rwanda and Burundi.
However, there is a silver lining in the cloud for Tanzania. According to the regional English weekly, The EastAfrican, Kenya government’s decision to bring Uganda into the Chinese rail contract could lead into tension between the two countries.
The paper claims that the contract had dumped an earlier contract between the two countries whose implementation had reached an advanced stage.
Although governments the world over do not work through the media, yet the likelihood of friction between the two countries provides Tanzania with an opportunity of getting its Chinese friends to deal with the central railway line and others in the country.
Besides, construction of standard railroads network in the country would be the only meaningful legacy for the present government currently steeped in numerous socio-economic problems.
It is important for the Kikwete’s administration to bear in mind that no country in the world has ever made a break from poverty without making hard decisions.
In fact, the present economic hardship in the country provides the government of the opportunity of making pragmatic decisions that would dislodge the nation from its present economic mire.
The way forward is to get the Chinese turn around the country’s railways into a maze of modern standard railroads system.
It is now or never. For the time is unfortunately not on the present administration’s side!
By Attilio Tagalile
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