Nairobi — A German consortium will undertake the construction of a Sh237 billion railway line linking Kenya and Southern Sudan.

Planning and National Development minister Prof Anyang Nyong'o yesterday revealed that he had held fruitful discussions with the investor whom he met during a tour of Germany recently.

Following the discussions,he said, the investor visited the country to inspect the project.

"We had a fruitful visit to Germany recently and the investor has already come to the country and was satisfied with the arrangement," Nyong'o said during the launch of the Nyakach constituency Aids committee.

Nyong'o's announcement comes shortly after the consortium, led by a leading German railway construction firm, Thormaehlen Schweisstechnik AG, presented a proposal to the Government in pursuit of the concessioning of the Kenya and Uganda railways.

The proposal, which is said to have received warm reception from the Cabinet, aroused the Government's interest in the German investor.

A Chinese firm had also expressed interest in not only the concessioning of the Kenya railway but also the extending of the existing rail network to Juba, in Southern Sudan.

The German entrepreneur and owner of the investing firm, Klaus Thormaehlen, is alleged to have been in the country a couple of weeks ago to hold consultations with top Government officials and the Kenya Railways management.

The discussions centered on the overhauling of the country's century-old metre gauge railway network to a much more practical standard gauge, among other issues.

It is also understood that the German consortium has already obtained the authorisation of the Sudan People's Liberalisation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) - which controls emerging democracy in Southern Sudan - to construct a railway line linking the country to the rest of the region.

Nyong'o said the 3,000- kilometres railway line connecting Kenya, Uganda and Sudan would ensure fast transportation of oil in the region and boost trade.

The project, he said, will begin soon but he declined to give the time frame.

Those present at yesterday's function included Nyakach MP Peter Odoyo and other legislators Philip Okundi, Peter Owidi, William Omondi, Prof Ayiecho Olweny and Erick Nyamunga.

Others were Jakoyo Midiwo, Charles Kilonzo, Jimmy Choge, Odhiambo Omamba, Owino Likowa and Nyando DC Hassan Farah.

The MPs also helped raise Sh945,000 for orphans and widows in the area and Sh700,000 was disbursed to various groups on the spot.

At the same time, Nyong'o said the Government was considering providing free secondary education within the next 10 years.