Sino-Kenya relations cordial despite minor hiccups: diplomat

The bilateral relationship between China and Kenya remains cordial despite occasional hiccups, said former Kenyan Ambassador to China Julius Ole Sunkuli.

The distinguished diplomat said in a commentary published in a Kenyan daily recently that China has always pursued a mutually beneficial relationship with African allies.

He rubbished claims from some quarters that Sino-Kenya's diplomatic relationship had entered a rough patch, following allegations that citizens from the Asian giant were involved in unscrupulous practices.

"The media is awash with negative reports about the Chinese, claiming they have come to steal our jobs and that their goods are sub-standard. We turned to China when the situation became desperate," Sunkuli said.

He decried double standards from the West and stressed that Kenya must refashion its foreign policy in the light of an evolving world order.

Western governments and multilateral agencies have no genuine desire to lift Kenya from poverty and social exclusion.

According to Sunkuli, the Bretton Woods Institution only follows the script written by their Western benefactors and have no capacity to assist developing countries leapfrog to new heights of growth.

"The Paris Club, the European Union and the World Bank all set conditionalities to our plea for aid to fund roads, water, health and poverty eradication projects," Sunkuli remarked.

He regretted the World Bank forced the Kenya government to adopt austerity measures that abolished safety nets for the poor before approving development aid.

"If the government was unwilling to meet these conditions, it would receive no help from donors. The conditionalities were extended to the electoral process," Sunkuli observed in a compelling essay.

China's robust engagement with Kenya is not only a game changer, but heralds great promise for the east African nation. Sunkuli noted that China deviated from the approach employed by the west in dealing with Africa.

"China understood Africa's problems and its policy towards the continent was pegged on a win-win situation. African countries would identify their interests and the Chinese would come in to play their part," Sunkuli said.

He noted that China's strategy of promoting trade and infrastructure development in Africa was a resounding success.

"Our roads are passable; we have a superhighway and soon we shall have a standard gauge railway," Sunkuli remarked while admonishing critics of Sino-Kenya relationship to review their position.

He quoted an ancient proverb in his native Rift Valley region that warns people against destroying a banana leaf that shelters them from rain simply because the down pour has subsided.

"This proverb aptly describes what is currently happening in Kenya. We should stop the China bashing since the country helped us during a critical phase in our country's history," Sunkuli said, adding that Kenya still needs its traditional allies from the West to achieve long-term growth. Endi