Egypt names general for transport

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said yesterday he would appoint a senior military officer as transport minister after a recent train crash at Cairo’s central station killed 22 people. Speaking at a military gathering, general-turned-president Sisi said Major General Kamel al-Wazir would be sworn in after the parliamentary recess.

Wazir’s selection comes after a backlash from a February 27 crash at Ramses central station, which also wounded more than 40 people, forcing former transport minister Hisham Arafat to resign. “I’m handing over this (transport) portfolio to one of the best army officers,” said Sisi. Wazir has been the head of the Egyptian military’s engineering authority since 2015.

The unit is behind many of the army’s mega-projects including a new capital east of Cairo and construction of everything from hospitals to sewage treatment plants. At press conferences, Sisi often calls upon Wazir informally to give updates on the progress of major infrastructure schemes.

Since he took office in 2014, Sisi has appointed military officers to high-ranking positions, including governorships. The crash triggered rare calls for protest online against the government ’s record on rail safety.