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Kenya, Japan sign 15.7mln USD grant deals

Xinhua, February 26, 2015 Adjust font size:

Kenya and Japan on Wednesday signed two grant agreements of 15.7 million U.S. dollars for the implementation of projects in Kenya.

Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury Henry Rotich told a media briefing in Nairobi that 13.6 million dollars will support the construction of a medical and hazardous waste processing plant.

"The facility will be constructed in Nairobi, which is currently faced with waste management challenges, especially with regard to medical waste," Rotich said, adding that medical waste endangers the health of people and is a potential cause of contamination of water bodies.

The CS said the second agreement of 2.1 million dollars falls under Japan's Non Grant Aid for Provision of Japanese Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) products.

He noted that the funds will be applied to procure irrigation equipment to boost Kenya's agricultural production and ensure food security. "It will also be used to enhance road safety as well as improve the protection of water catchment areas," he said.

Rotich said the agreement is yet another milestone of the strong bilateral cooperation that exists between the two countries. The financial assistance comes barely one month after the two nations signed for the Port of Mombasa development phase two project.

Government data indicates that Kenya cumulative debt to Japan stands at 4.9 billion dollars.

Japanese Ambassador to Kenya Tatsushi Terada said the grant should help accelerate bilateral trade and investment opportunities in a dynamic way.

Terada said the financial support for the construction of medical waste plant falls under a new grant aid scheme for Public- Private Partnerships. "The successful implementation of the project will open the door to increased applications of such projects in Africa."

Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Water and Natural Resources Judi Wakhungu said medical waste is of national concern as it contains infectious materials and human secretions from the medical treatment of people and animals.

Wakhungu said Kenya, as party to the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants, is duty-bound to meet the best available environmental practices.

"We therefore welcome the construction of the medical waste processing plant as it will help Kenya to meet such strict health and environmental standards," she said. Endi