Guo said the Chinese embassy and Chinese companies in Kenya will continue to support and participate in the country's development plans.

Chen Yun, vice-president, CCCC, said SGR is not only an engine for Kenya's economic development but also a project that brings real benefits to people.

During the past year of SGR operation, Chen said they received great support, attention and help from both Chinese and Kenyan governments and all social sectors.

"We feel indebted to the Kenyan president and government departments especially the ministry of transport, Kenya Railways, Kenya Ports Authority, for their great support in facilitating smooth operation of SGR," he said.

Mary Oyuke, manager, corporate affairs at Kenya Railways, said despite initial teething problems, Kenya Railways together with CRBC worked and still work tirelessly to continue improving the services.

"I can proudly say that our passengers can now travel without the hustle that was experienced before within the transport industry," she said.

Oyuke said they will continue to work diligently with other transport infrastructure partners to ensure that they deliver real benefits in terms of addressing challenges of traffic jams, pollution or even delayed and sometimes lost business opportunities.