President Kenyatta hails China for support to execute major projects

President Uhuru Kenyatta has yet again heaped praise on China for supporting Kenya’s development aspirations.

Speaking at the end of an inspection tour of the ongoing construction of the new Kipevu Oil Terminal at the Port of Mombasa, the head of state hailed Kenya’s partnership with China saying the arrangement had helped deliver key development projects including the offshore jetty, the SGR among others.

The President who was accompanied on the tour of Kshs 40 billion offshore facility by the visiting Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi, further thanked China for continuing to open up its expansive market to Kenyan exports.

The oil terminal that is funded by the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) is being constructed by China Communication Construction Company (CCCC).

President Uhuru Kenyatta says the new Kipevu Oil Terminal which is currently 96% complete, will enhance supply and cost stability of petroleum products in Kenya and the region.

The 770m jetty, the largest of its kind in Africa, has a capacity to load and offload very large vessels of up to 200,000 DWT carrying all categories of petroleum products including crude oil, white oils and LPG.

Earlier on, President Kenyatta met the visiting State Councilor and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China Mr. Wang Yi who paid him a courtesy visit at State House, Mombasa.

During the meeting, the Head of State and the Chinese Minister discussed a wide array of bilateral and multilateral subjects of mutual interest to Kenya & China among them the two countries development cooperation framework, regional peace & security as well as the global fight against Covid-19

On his way from inspecting the upcoming offshore Kipevu Oil Terminal, the largest of its kind in Africa, President Kenyatta made a brief stopover at the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) Container Terminal at the Port of Mombasa to assess the facility’s operations.

The Head of State was received at the freight station by Cabinet Secretaries Ukur Yatani (National Treasury) and Peter Munya (Agriculture) as well as senior officials of Kenya Railways and Kenya Ports Authority (KPA).

More to follow….

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