There is no doubt that presidential aspirant Prof George Wajackoyah is an eccentric gentleman. This came out once more on Saturday while launching his bid for the top seat in Nairobi. Among other things, the good professor promised Kenyans that if elected he would add Friday to the weekend. He also pledged that he would legalise cannabis sativa for both medicinal and financial purposes.
But it is the cannabis legalization two-pronged approach that raised quite some contentious policy controversy. The first part was brilliant. I support his view that we can use revenue from the export of marijuana to settle a good portion of Kenya’s debt which currently stands at almost Ksh 8 billion.
According to press reports, Wajackoyah said that he would use the proceeds from marijuana to offset Chinese loans and, thereafter, sever ties with China. In my view, that was quite a misinformed statement that should not have been mixed with the Prof’s political theatrics.
Apparently, Wajackoyah took the cue of using China as a political punching bag from Garissa Town Member of Parliament Adan Duale who a couple of weeks ago said China State-owned or linked companies were benefiting from the ballooning loans the Chinese Government is lending Kenya.
In a statement tabled in Parliament, Duale said that “these loans have largely contributed to the country’s public debt that currently stands at Sh8 trillion against the ceiling of Sh9 trillion enacted in November 2018.” In short, the two leaders were simply trying to resuscitate the already debunked ‘debt trap’ myth that sought to drive a wedge between the flourishing Sino-Africa relations.
Well, for someone fully informed of Kenya’s debt to China, the above statements are sensational and misleading. Unfortunately, there are many who are duped by such reckless talk by leaders who should first get their facts right before going public with such extremely sensitive allegations.
During his New Year visit to Kenya early January, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that the so-called “debt trap” in Africa is not a fact, but a malicious hype-up. It is an “utterance trap” created by those external forces that do not want to see Africa accelerate development. If there is any “trap” in Africa, it is the “poverty trap” and the “underdevelopment trap”.
Responding directly about the Chinese burden on Kenya’s debt portfolio, Wang Yi noted that 80 percent of Kenya’s foreign debt is owed to multilateral financial institutions, while the country’s debt to China is mainly concessional loans. The positive impact of Chinese loans in Kenya is rather self-evident. The biggest infrastructural projects in the biggest economy in East Africa including railways, ports and highways have been constructed using Chinese funds.
Experts see the two Kenyan leaders as uncanny agents of the West’s ‘debt trap’ conspiracy theory. Ironically, their high position in the society should give them access to facts more easily than the average person.
In December last year, President Uhuru Kenyatta dismissed those casting aspersions on Sino-Kenya relations, telling them to visit the projects initiated by the two countries. “Many people have said that our relationship with China is not beneficial. Our partnership with China is one that is mutually beneficial. It is based on win-win and as Kenya, we are very grateful to the Chinese government,” Uhuru said.
A report released in November 2021 titled, “Shared Prosperity: Tracking the Belt and Road Initiative in Kenya (2018-2021)”, documents the wide-ranging impact of the BRI on Kenya’s overall development. Kenya has several BRI flagship projects – infrastructure, trade, finance, policy consultations and people-to-people exchanges – that have transformed the lives of many communities in the country.
Simply put, China’s current position as Kenya’s leading bilateral partner is not by accident. The two sides have been brought together through mutual understanding. Unlike the erstwhile demanding Western partners, China does not place unreasonable conditions when offering its assistance, giving Kenya the space it needs to grow.
In addition, China does not interfere in the internal affairs of its partners. It does not prescribe certain systems or priorities and prefers countries to seek out their own development paths. There are no pontifications. With no baggage in the continent, China has also emerged as a trustworthy albeit luring partner.
