Fact Checker: Trade with China skewed against Kenya

Foreign Affairs Chief Administrative Secretary Ababu Namwamba (second left) flanked by Chinese Economic and Commercial Counsellor Guo Tse (left), Charge d’Affaires Li Xuhang mark 55th anniversary of Kenya-China relations last year. [David Njaaga, Standard]

China’s engagement with Kenya has been a subject of much debate over the past decade dating back to 2012 when then President Mwai Kibaki signed a deal to build the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR).

In the following years, the project was hyped by government officials who said it would increase Kenya’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by almost Sh100 billion upon completion. So far, this promise has not materialised.