The presence of Chinese construction companies in Kenya is evident from the big projects they are handling; from roads to office complexes to shopping malls. The current government’s flagship transport project, the Standard Gauge Railway, which replaces the century-old lunatic express from the coastal city of Mombasa to Malaba to the west, is Kenya’s biggest project contracted to a Chinese company and funded by the Chinese government to date.

The project has been the subject of
controversy emanating from the nature of the Kenya-China agreement which was termed
as flawed, and due to reports of racism in the project.
But this project was also controversial for a more obscure reason: its over-exploitation of sand. Due to
the enormity of the project, its demand for sand put a strain on the
environment. Civil society organizations and residents protested against this
exploitation.