Indebtedness to China raises questions about Kenya’s sovereignty

The tired cliché says that history repeats itself. At the tail-end of the 19th Century, an unholy assemblage known as the Berlin Conference was called by Otto Von Bismarck to decide how Africa would be divided among European powers. Soon after, over 90 per cent of Africa was occupied by Europeans who claimed ownership of lands and natural resources.

Some of these Europeans claimed that they had entered into sale and lease agreements with local chiefs. Perhaps the dubious nature of these agreements is best illustrated by the case of John Boyes, whose evidence before the Carter Land Commission of 1932 claimed ownership of Mount Kenya.