What Kenyans think about the Chinese link

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i’s efforts to rid Kenya of illegal immigrants recently resulted in the arrest of 15 Chinese nationals for allegedly engaging in prostitution. A social media commentator noted, tongue-in-cheek, that the Chinese had been arrested for “doing jobs that should be done by Kenyans”. While the commentary was intended for locker room or bar room consumption, its levity belies what Kenyans really think about the Chinese and their fears of an insidious penetration of the country by the world’s second biggest economy.

China is steadily on the path to becoming the next global superpower. Through its Belt and Road Initiative, it has created a network of overland inter-connecting infrastructure corridors across most of the regions of the world where it seeks to exert influence. Africa is one such region because of resources. China sees it as a market for its goods.