- Title: KENYA: China funds reconstruction of main road through Nairobi capital
- Date: 3rd May 2007
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Kiswahili) FRANK KIRUI, NAIROBI RESIDENT, SAYING: "When they come, we don't know what they will bring. We also have our own engineers. Why can't we have our own engineers repair this road? Why should we have engineers from China coming to repair our roads?" (SOUNDBITE) (English) ROBERT OTIENO, NAIROBI RESIDENT, SAYING: "Most definitely its a very positive st
- Embargoed: 18th May 2007 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Kenya
- Country: Kenya
- Topics: Industry,Transport
- Reuters ID: LVA13A0SG6WSRQFWL32H24FG9FJV
- Story Text: Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki on Thursday (April 26) joined one of China's highest-ranking politicians to unveil a plaque announcing another Chinese infrastructure project in Africa.
The 2 billion Kenyan shilling (30 million US dollar) project, unveiled by Kibaki and the chairman of the Chinese People's Consultative Conference, Jia Qinglin, will see the road from Kenya's main international airport, through the capital Nairobi, totally reconstructed.
The project will improve the image of the Kenyan capital and is also likely to attract a great deal of attention from ordinary Kenyans.
China's growing influence on the continent is regarded locally with mixed feelings. China has begun a huge investment drive on the continent, investing in the extraction of commodities, including oil, copper, iron ore and other strategic commodities. It has also begun a drive to simultaneously win over "hearts and minds" of ordinary Africans by bestowing gifts like football stadiums, railways and roads, as well as soft loans to African governments. But at the same time, cheap Chinese imports are hurting millions of traders and workers in Africa.
President Mwai Kibaki's message of thank you to the government of China was clear.
"On behalf of my government and the people of Kenya I take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to government of the People's Republic of China for financing this project to the tune of 2 billion shillings," Kibaki told the audience.
On the Nairobi streets, however, some people questioned the need for Kenya to import road engineers from China rather than use Kenyan workers and engineers, while other people saw the initiative as crucial for speeding up development.
"When they come, we don't know what they will bring. We also have our own engineers. Why can't we have our own engineers repair this road? Why should we have engineers from China coming to repair our roads?" asked Frank Kirui who live in Nairobi.
"Most definitely its a very positive step towards the betterment because infrastructure is key to development. That is point number one. I know we'll improve our infrastructure through the Chinese initiative with the Kenyan government. I believe that we are moving forward and its a good situation for us as Kenyans and as a developing nation. Yes," said Robert Otieno, a Nairobi resident.
Uhuru Highway carries millions of commuters and hundreds of thousands of tourists into and out of Nairobi annually and while Kenya has improved many of its roads since the end of the rule of former President Daniel Arap Moi, the main road into the city is often choked with cars and huge trucks ferrying goods from Kenya's port to destinations as far inland as Sudan.
The rehabilitation will include the construction of an extra lane on both sides of the road, a new drainage system and pedestrian walkways.
The project is the largest of its kind by the Chinese in Kenya since the 1985 construction of a sports stadium and is part of a 5.9 billion Kenyan shilling (86 million US dollar) development package signed by Kibaki and Chinese President Hu Jintao in Kenya in 2006.
Kenya has ear-marked infrastructure development, including road renovation, as a key element in its economic growth plans.
Kenya has embarked on more than 60 road development projects worth some 60 billion Kenyan shillings (almost 900 million US dollars). - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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