NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 16 – Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to maintaining strong diplomatic ties with China, emphasizing that the collaboration will play a vital role in driving Kenya’s economic growth and fostering regional development.
Mudavadi made the remarks while welcoming the newly appointed chief envoy of China to Kenya, Ambassador Guo Haiyan, who paid a courtesy visit to his office.
“I warmly welcome Ambassador Guo to Kenya and wish her a successful and fulfilling tenure in our great nation,” Mudavadi stated following a meeting on Thursday.
“As Kenya continues to strengthen its strategic partnership with China, this collaboration will play a significant role in driving economic growth, fostering regional development, and contributing to broader prosperity across the African continent,” he added.
The duo considered avenues to further deepen consultations between the two nations in key sectors, including infrastructure, Information Communication Technology (ICT), energy, education, climate change, governance, peace and security, and political stability, among others.
Ambassador Guo reaffirmed China’s commitment to supporting Kenya’s development agenda, particularly through continued financial backing for projects such as the extension of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from Naivasha to the Malaba border and the Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to enhance the Nairobi-Nakuru-Malaba road network.
The newly appointed Ambassador replaces Ambassador Zhou Pingjian, who left Kenya toward the end of 2024 after serving for four years.
While presenting her credentials to President William Ruto at State House, Ambassador Guo pledged to enhance bilateral relations, particularly in infrastructure development, trade and investment, and climate change mitigation.
Kenya and China have enjoyed robust diplomatic ties since elevating their partnership to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2017, the highest level of bilateral engagement.
As one of China’s key strategic partners in Africa, Kenya has benefited from numerous development projects facilitated through this collaboration.
