Chinese President Xi Jinping disclosed how his brainchild idea, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has transformed the country with several development projects.
Xi launched BRI in 2013, the same year President Uhuru Kenyatta ascended to power. Through diplomatic ties, Uhuru and Xi Jinping struck several deals that have transformed the country.
As Uhuru prepares to leave office, the Chinese President marked BRI's tenth anniversary detailing how it has shaped the country.
During a ministerial meeting, the Chinese President described the BRI initiative as a vehicle for achieving infrastructure, policy, trade, financial and people-to-people connectivity to create new drivers of shared development.
Through his idea which was adopted in 2013, China has supported state-of-the-art infrastructure projects such as roads, construction of ports, dams, railways, industries, digital connectivity and airports.
The project has injected vitality into Kenya's economic growth and aligned with the country's vision 2030.
The Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) was highlighted as the first project in Kenya under the BRI initiative. The Export-Import Bank of China funded the 472 km long railroad project.
According to China, its impact has been immense, including integrating transportation network and creating over 46,000 jobs.
The Nairobi Expressway came up as a result of the BRI initiative. The 27km road running from Mlolongo to James Gichuru Road in Westlands was built by China Road and Bridge Corporation under a public-private partnership model.
It has significantly reduced traffic in Nairobi, cutting travel time on the stretch from 2 hours to 15 minutes.
China President's brainchild project has also helped construct approximately 115 km of road bypasses in Nairobi and the 453-km Lamu-Garissa Road.
President Xi Jinping has also left a mark with the construction of the Kipevu Oil Terminal, which is meant to improve the efficiency of oil transportation.
Other transformation projects include the Likoni Floating Bridge and the Makupa Bridge in the Coastal part of the country.
Besides Kenya, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi noted that BRI has also helped other countries build roads, ports, railways, hospitals and schools.
With their massive investment in the country, the Chinese ambassador to Kenya, Zhou Pingjian revealed that the country only owes China 10 per cent of its total debt.
"Western investors, often in the forms of multilateral financial institutions and commercial creditors, are the largest creditors of African countries such as Kenya. According to the World Bank’s 2022 International Debt Statistics, 28.8 per cent of Africa’s external debt comes form multilateral financial institutions and 41.8 per cent from commercial creditors. Together they account for nearly three-fourths of Africa’s total debt," Pingjian stated.
