Chinese Vice President Han Zheng arrives in Nairobi for four day visit

Chinese Vice President Han Zheng arrives at JKIA, Nairobi for a four day state visit on March 22, 2026. [Musalia Mudavadi, X]

Chinese Vice President Han Zheng has arrived in Nairobi for the first leg of a three-country Africa tour that will also take him to South Africa and Seychelles.

Zheng's delegation touched down at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) a few minutes before 7pm, where he was received by Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi.

The visit follows formal invitations from Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, South African Deputy President Paul Mashatile, and Seychelles Vice President Sebastien Pillay.

CS Mudavadi revealed that Zheng will be in Kenya for four days for the state visit.

“The visit will feature a series of high-level engagements focused on strengthening collaboration in key sectors, expanding trade and investment, and deepening the Kenya–China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” he said.

China's foreign ministry said the trip is aimed at strengthening bilateral relations, noting that it comes as China marks seven decades of ties with the African continent.

"China and Kenya form a community with a shared future in the new era," the ministry said.

While in Kenya, Zheng is expected to hold discussions with government officials on bilateral cooperation, trade and investment, and infrastructure development.

The visit coincides with the resumption of construction of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), which will be extended from Naivasha to Kisumu and onward to Malaba. 

The contract has been awarded to a Chinese firm, mirroring the arrangement for the first phase from Mombasa to Nairobi and the Phase 2A extension to Naivasha, both completed under former President Uhuru Kenyatta.

President William Ruto, who has made the SGR extension a flagship infrastructure project, said the line will transform Kenya's regional standing.

"The SGR extension will position Kenya as the regional trade and logistics hub, linking Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the Port of Mombasa while unlocking the economic potential of Western Kenya," he said.

The section from Naivasha is scheduled for completion by June next year, with the full 489-kilometre stretch to Malaba expected to be ready by 2028.