Kisumu Gallery

Kenya-Train-Lunatic Express-Flags

The Indian (L) and British flags are seen in front of the "Lunatic Express" as it crosses the Rift Valley (background) near Nakura 20 December 2001 during a commemoration trip from Mombasa to Kisumu to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the railway. On December 20, 1901, after more than a decade of planning and construction, the tracks of Uganda Railway, also known as the Lunatic Express, or the Iron Snake, which began at the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa finally reached Port Florence (now Kisumu), on shore of Lake Victoria. The human cost of this controversial 900 kilometer project undertaken despite vociferous opposition in Britain's parliament, was enormous. AFP PHOTO/Pedro UGARTE / AFP PHOTO / PEDRO UGARTE

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