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Kenya Treasury Secretary: “We Don’t Want to Give the Impression We Are Straining in Any Way”

by Eric Olander

The alarming headlines in today’s Kenyan newspapers about the country’s apparent inability to repay some of its debts contrasts sharply with the message conveyed by Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury Ukur Yatani in an interview with Bloomberg’s Africa bureau chief David Malingha:

David Malingha: Have you talked to China and have they responded to your requests for any form of debt relief?

CS Ukur Yatani: Foremost, let me correct the impression that the debt is only owed to China. We have debts to a number of bilateral and multilateral partners and we treat them equally. China is no exception. And we have not made any formal engagements to either reschedule debt or negotiate on any matter because at the moment we [have a] fairly balanced debt situation [and] because of those obligations we don’t want to give an impression that we are straining in any way.”

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