Kenyan President William Ruto has taken steps to deepen the country’s bilateral relationship with China by securing major deals across trade, infrastructure and other strategic partnerships during his recent state visit to China.
President Ruto, who recently led a high-level Kenyan delegation to China, engaged in productive discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping focusing on key areas such as trade expansion, investment promotion, and development promotion in addition to s commitment to aligning the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to Kenya’s national development agenda.
Signing of Numerous MoUs
As part of the resolutions during the visit, about 20 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed between both countries. They include deals for investments in the extension of the Standard Gauge Railway to Naivasha (Phase II) and from Naivasha to Malaba (Phase III), as well as the expansion and dualization of the Nairobi-Nakuru-Mau Summit–Malaba highway.” and the expansion and dualization of the Nairobi-Nakuru-Mau Summit–Malaba highway which has been a project attracting interest Western countries including the French has now gone to China.
An agreement on the development of a special economic zone in Kilifi county expected to create around 5000 jobs, manufacturing expansions in Machakos, Murang’a and Mombasa as well as Agricultural initiatives in Baringo counties projected to generate 10,500 jobs were also secured. China at the meeting also expressly supported Kenya’s liability management efforts.
This agreements comes as China is in the midst of renegotiating its deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in a bid to reduce the country’s debt burden.
