Chinese firm pledges to support Kenya’s economic and social development

NAIROBI, Kenya Dec 15- The Kenya China Economic and Trade Association (KCETA), a group of Chinese companies in Kenya Wednesday pledged to continue supporting Kenya’s economic and social development through its various projects.

While launching KCETA’s social responsibility report, the firms reaffirmed their commitment to leveraging their key industry-specific advantages to continue exploring their potential through the construction of roads, water conservancy projects, housing, and other infrastructure projects in Kenya.

“Over the past 20 years, the 107 Chinese enterprises in the country have firmly seized the opportunities presented by Kenya’s Big Four Agenda and actively moved to assist its Vision 2030. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, they also donated immediate response supplies to all parts of society in Kenya, providing them with support,” KCETA said in its report.

Zhou Pingjian, Chinese Ambassador to Kenya, who spoke during the event, said KCETA has great potential for cooperation that will make greater contributions to high-quality development of the Belt and Road initiative and building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future.

“As we work towards economic recovery, please note that there is an opportunity to build back a better Kenya,” Olivia Rachier, the Managing Director at KenInvest told members of KCETA.

The firms further highlighted their contribution towards improving Kenya’s infrastructure through the  Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway and the first phase (120 km) of the Nairobi-Naivasha Standard Gauge Railway.

‘It links with the Mombasa-Nairobi SGR and plays an important role in promoting Kenya’s economic and social development, speeding up industrialization, and enabling more connections and communication in East Africa,” KCETA said in its report.

The association also pointed out its contribution to the Big Four Agenda pillar of affordable housing through partnerships with the Uhuru Kenyatta-led government.

‘The Park Road Affordable Housing Project undertaken by the China State Construction Engineering Corp. (Kenya), a KCETA member Limited covers an area of 32,000 square meters, including 1,370 affordable houses and supporting infrastructure and facilities,’ KCETA said.

Besides creating job opportunities for local people, the group noted that Chinese enterprises in Kenya are vital in the stimulation of the local human capital market through its empowerment model and sharing of high-quality vocational education resources.

According to preliminary statistics, from 2020 to 2021, Chinese enterprises employed more than 60,000 Kenyan employees with the localization rate exceeding 90 percent.