Kenyatta: China's 'takeover' of Mombasa Port is propaganda

World
Europe

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said Friday that "the issue of the takeover of Mombasa Port by China is pure propaganda," adding that "we are ahead of our payment schedule for the SGR (Standard Gauge Railway) loan and there is no cause of alarm."

Kenyatta's clarification on the Mombasa Port issue comes a week after the Office of the Auditor General denied reports indicating that it released an audit report warning that Kenya risks losing the port of Mombasa over the multi-billion shilling loan borrowed from China for the construction of the SGR.

The president made the remarks during a live, televised roundtable interview from State House Mombasa.

A general view of the newly commissioned berth No. 19 at Kilindini Port in Kenyan's coastal town of Mombasa, August 28, 2013 /VCG Photo

Kenyatta said that he is confident that "Kenya's debt is for infrastructure development, that will not only benefit the current generation but future generations too."

He also addressed the issue of how people keep asking him about his frequent trips to China.

"People keep asking me why I go to China. China is opening their eyes and meeting Kenya, and indeed the rest of Africa at their point of need. They are offering financial packages which we can afford," said the president.

China on Monday also responded to the related issue, stressing that the allegation that the Kenyan side used the Mombasa Port as a collateral in its Mombasa-Nairobi Railway payment agreement with the Chinese financial institution is not true.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying during the regular press conference introduced that the China-Kenya cooperation on the Mombasa-Nairobi railway is progressing smoothly.

Impalas walk near the elevated railway that allows movement of animals below the tracks at the construction site of Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) in Nairobi National Park, Kenya, November 21, 2018. /VCG Photo

"When cooperating with African countries including Kenya, Chinese companies and financial institutions will always conduct joint and thorough scientific study on the feasibility of the projects," Hua noted.

She added when determining the construction and funding plans and scales, Chinese companies and financial institutions always guard against causing debt risks and fiscal burdens for Africa.

(Top image: Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta speaks at the opening ceremony for the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, China, November 5, 2018. /VCG Photo)