In Kenya, Chinese companies are known for actualizing big construction projects. From the Standard Gauge Railway to the iconic Nairobi Expressway; Lamu deep see port to the imposing Global Trade Centre, Chinese technology has revolutionized Kenya’s infrastructure landscape and powered its productive sectors.
Yet, beyond these glitzy projects, the firms have equally been engaging in small acts of charity that have equally left inedible marks in the lives of individuals and households across the country.
A new report released by the Kenya China Economic and Trade Association details how Kenyans have benefited from the corporate social responsibility initiatives by Chinese firms in Kenya. Collectively, the 400 Chinese enterprises have created 50,000 jobs to Kenyans with localization in some of the firms hitting 95%. The construction projects that take in many low-skilled workers have particularly come in handy in the backdrop of the pandemic-induced layoffs which saw thousands of Kenyans lose their sources of income.
As the country braced for difficult times during the Covid-19 global health crises, Chinese firms pooled together resources and delivered medical supplies worth KSh. 64.5 million by September 2020. The SGR and China Southern Airlines were particularly critical in transporting the donations from China, thereby amplifying Kenya’s efforts to upstage the global health crisis.
Similarly, ICT firms like Huawei, Star Times and Avic International stepped up support for Kenyan students cut off from the learning system by the pandemic. A total of 2,000 students drawn from 20 universities in Kenya were able to tap into the Huawei-powered Talent Online platform and continue with their studies.
The special economic zones and industrial parks built by the Chinese enterprises such as Wuyi Industrial Park, the Sunda Industrial Park, the Naivasha Industrial Park, Konza Technopolis, and the Africa Economic Zone Pearl River are fostering Kenya’s industrialization bid through strong technology transfer and local productions. Kenyans are now able to access locally manufactured industrial products at competitive prices and enhanced quality.
In the course of implementing big-ticket infrastructure projects across the country, Chinese enterprises have also engaged in building community roads, setting up water pans and upgrading learning institutions through donation and renovation of classrooms and provision of learning materials. During the floods and landslides witnessed in West Pokot in 2019, for example, Chinese firms donated food and non-food items in a show of solidarity with the affected households.
Other initiatives such as the Luban workshop that is jointly being implemented by Machakos University, Tianjin City Vocational College, and Huawei Technologies are primed to induct Kenyan students into consequential fields of technology including cloud computing. The workshop opens an opportunity for Kenya and China to exchange ideas on growing adequately skilled young people who can carry the mantle of national innovation and industrial expansion. China largely leveraged its vocational programmes to train its youth; a feat that enabled Beijing to emerge as global manufacturing heartland.
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Perhaps the most striking soft contribution to Kenya by the Chinese businesses is the new attitudinal imprint among Kenyans about national development – that it is possible with consistent effort and unrelenting application of knowledge. Kenyans have witnessed firsthand how large scale construction projects are implemented. Government officials now have new management framework to think about national infrastructure and other vital projects.
There is increasing confidence that Kenyans too, can follow the footsteps of their Chinese counterparts and improve their socio-economic standing. As more Kenyans get a chance to interact with Chinese firms, more learning points emerge. Nairobi is for instance home to young and skilled professional in rail and road construction, capable of providing their services beyond Kenya.
The 8th Ministerial of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation held in Senegal last month resolved to support private sector partnerships between China and African countries. Given the strong record of Kenya to attract and sustain high caliber international businesses, more Chinese firms should consider investing in the country and further promote economic integration of the two countries. By going beyond the call of duty to provide auxiliary services to Kenyans, Chinese firms are building strong foundation for public diplomacy in the country.
The writer is a scholar of international relations with a focus on China-Africa cooperation. Twitter: @Cavinceworld.
