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The tripartite agreement will leverage on competitive edge of both the Chinese and British enterprises to stimulate investments in strategic sectors like infrastructure, financial services, manufacturing and agriculture/FILE

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Chinese investors mull financing JKIA – Westlands expressway

The agreements were signed at the Great Hall of the People where the two leaders held bilateral talks focusing on strengthening the comprehensive and strategic partnership existing between Kenya and China.

Beijing, China, Sep 5 – Chinese private investors have expressed interest in working with the Kenyan government to finance several infrastructure projects worth billions of shillings under a private-public partnership model. 

In a meeting with President Uhuru Kenyatta who was in Beijing for the 2018 China-Africa summit, the Chinese investors want to put their money into a 30-kilometre expressway running from JKIA across the city to Westlands, and for the development of Dongo Kundu industrial Special Economic Zone in Mombasa.

The Presidential Press Unit said investors have also expressed interest in two major roads in North Eastern.

The Modogashe-Habaswein-Samatar and Elwak-Rhamu road will cost Sh15 billion and would be constructed through a partnership involving Chinese private companies under the Kenya government’s roads annuity program.

The new partnerships are seen as a quick result of Kenya’s desire to shift away from pure debt financing with the new emphasis being placed on Public-Private Partnerships and the need to explore innovative off-balance sheet financing for the country’s infrastructure needs.

The deliberations came on a day that President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping witnessed the signing of more deals between Kenya and China

The agreements were signed at the Great Hall of the People where the two leaders held bilateral talks focusing on strengthening the comprehensive and strategic partnership existing between Kenya and China.

The leaders discussed the construction of the Phase 2B of the Standard Gauge Railway covering the section from Naivasha to Kisumu.

During the meeting, the two leaders witnessed the signing of an agreement for funding the construction of the Western Bypass to complete the road network that was designed to ease the city’s perennial traffic problems.

President Kenyatta and his Chinese counterpart also witnessed the signing of an agreement on Economic and Investment Cooperation under which Kenya will receive a grant of Sh4.5 billion to guide the discussion and implementation of projects that involve both nations.

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Kenya and China further signed a Cooperation agreement within the Framework of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative that is being spearheaded by the Chinese Government, which aims to foster shared prosperity among nations.

President Kenyatta said Kenya appreciates China’s demonstrated commitment in supporting Kenya’s development goals

“It is my ambition that we shall continue to strengthen our strategic and comprehensive partnership,” said President Kenyatta.

The cooperation between Kenya and China currently covers a range of sectors including agriculture, infrastructure, industrialisation, technology transfer, energy, environmental protection, peace and security, capacity building, and people-to-people exchanges.

The Sino-Kenya relationship has over the years been underpinned by regular high-level official visits between the two countries.

“Kenya is satisfied with the tremendous progress achieved in our bilateral cooperation, and continues to open up new areas of cooperation,” said the President.

The Kenyan Head of State said the highpoint of the cooperation of the two nations is undoubtedly the SGR. He noted that the first section of the SGR — Mombasa to Nairobi— was completed before schedule and Kenya has began to reap its benefits.

The President said an important by-product of the SGR project is the accelerated human capacity building in the field of railway engineering.

“My government appreciates your government’s commitment to develop, jointly with our Railway Training Institute, the appropriate vocational and technical skills to ensure optimal management of the rail network on a sustainable basis,” said the President.

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The University of Nairobi, Kenya Railways Corporation and Beijing Jiaotong University signed an MoU in support of training railway engineers and managers for SGR operations and management at the sidelines of the FOCAC summit. The agreement was signed by the UoN Vice Chancellor Prof Peter Mbithi and KRC Ag Managing Director Philip Mainga.

Further, President Kenyatta noted that the priorities identified in the next FOCAC cycle are aligned with the Kenya Government’s Big Four Agenda including Manufacturing, Food Security & Nutrition, Universal Health Care and Affordable Housing.

“Each of these sectors offers viable investment opportunities.  I therefore welcome Chinese companies to invest in any of these priority areas,” said President Kenyatta.

Earlier on Tuesday morning President Kenyatta attended a closed-door session bringing together the Chinese leadership and African Heads of State.

On Monday evening, President Kenyatta and First Lady Margaret Kenyatta were among leaders from Africa who were hosted at State Banquet at the Great Hall of the People by President Xi.

President Kenyatta was accompanied by Cabinet Secretaries Monica Juma (Foreign Affairs), Henry Rotich (National Treasury), James Macharia (Transport and Infrastructure) and Peter Munya (Trade and Industry).

Principal Secretaries Kamau Thugge (National Treasury), Julius Korir (Infrastructure) and Esther Koimett (Transport).

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