China has pledged to transform Kenya’s  railway, road and port infrastructure through bilateral cooperation.

This was disclosed during a meeting between President William Ruto and President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on September 2, 2024 ahead of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit.

“Through our bilateral cooperation with China, the Mombasa-Naivasha Standard Gauge Railway, the Nairobi Expressway and many rural roads have been built, opening up the country and making Kenya a key transport hub not just in Eastern Africa but the continent,” said President Ruto.

President Ruto added that President Xi agreed to give Kenya’s agricultural produce access to the Chinese market. 

“We also agreed to discuss regional infrastructure projects such as the expansion of SGR, and the Rironi-Mau Summit-Malaba dual carriageway,” Ruto noted.

The upcoming FOCAC Summit in Beijing is an opportunity for African countries to boost their cooperation with China.

According to President Ruto, over the past two years, China has been strengthening bilateral ties through three global initiatives put forward by President Xi Jinping on development, security and culture.

For instance, China’s security cooperation with Africa has deepened substantially over the past decade.

This engagement includes peacekeeping operations, joint military exercises and professional training.

“The three initiatives on development, security and culture are important for the wholesome development of societies. 

“There can never be development without peace, there can never be peace without people understanding one another and collaborating,” Ruto explained. 

He added that China has been an active participant in United Nations peacekeeping missions across Africa.

The contributions of Chinese blue helmets span from active deployment to humanitarian work.

Medical and engineering contingents in countries like South Sudan and the Central African Republic provide extensive support to local communities.

“In the last meeting that we had, it was our collective position as a continent that we work with President Xi and China in making sure that the three initiatives benefit the development of our continent in both ways between China and Africa and we continue to foster security and stability especially in the hot spots and flashpoints in our continent,” said President Ruto.