Jamlik Mwangi Kariuki, a young Kenyan who once worked on the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway, twice came to China for further studies, receiving training in railway engineering, thanks to the opportunities provided by the railway. Benefiting from the experience, Kariuki and his classmates wrote a letter to President Xi Jinping, expressing their gratitude. In his reply, President Xi encouraged them to "continue to contribute to the operation and development of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway and to the cause of China-Kenya friendship and cooperation."