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Kenyan Professor Explains Why China, Not the West, Became Nairobi’s Creditor of Choice

by Eric Olander
United States International University-Africa political science lecturer and leading Africa-China expert Elijah Munyi appeared on the popular Kenyan radio station Spice FM to discuss Sino-Kenyan relations. Image via Spice FM.

When Kenya embarked on its national infrastructure development agenda back in the early 2000s, policymakers didn’t have a lot of options when it came to financing. Traditional lenders weren’t interested and the cost of borrowing from banks was too expensive.

Enter the Chinese, who United States International University-Africa professor Elijah Munyi told a national radio audience on Spice FM’s popular morning show “The Situation Room” had the capital and, more importantly, the risk appetite to finance the country’s railways, ports, and roads.

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