The Chinese owned & built Mombasa to Nairobi rail system – which is no stranger to scandal has apparently been losing around $10,000 a day to a simple ticketing scam. Three Chinese nationals have been charged with fraud for claiming fake refunds and of trying to bribe officials. This may not sound a lot but equates to around a third of its passenger revenue.
Launched in 2017 the $3bn project has been losing money from day one ($100m loss in the first year alone) and losing around $3,650,000 a year to a simple scam wont help. One would guess this is the tip of the iceberg given Kenya’s inherent corruption issues.
Mombasa Nairobi Train
Andrzej Kubik/Shutterstock
The line which runs through the Nairobi National Park and Tsavo National Park is intended eventually to link various landlocked African states, which would in theory be good for economic development in the region, however with losses at this scale it is doubtful that even China with its global ambitions will fancy pouring the billions in that would be needed.
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