NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 10- Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka says his longstanding relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping could help him negotiate a review of debt obligations if he wins the presidency in 2027.
Kalonzo said Xi had previously told him that he would visit Kenya when he became President, recalling a meeting between the two leaders when he served as Vice President.
“Talk to President Xi Jinping. When I was Vice President, I met up with him. And he actually said, the only time I come to Kenya is when you are the president,” Kalonzo said during a interview on NTV’s Fixing the Nation.
He pointed to Xi’s recent visit to Tanzania without a stop in Kenya as a possible indication that the Chinese leader had meant what he told him.
“When he came to Tanzania and didn’t come to Kenya, this man seems to be serious,” Kalonzo said.
The Wiper leader said a government under his leadership would immediately open discussions with Kenya’s major creditors in an effort to restructure the country’s debt burden.
Kalonzo argued that Kenya could not sustainably meet its debt obligations when ordinary government revenue remains significantly lower than the country’s overall public debt.
He proposed direct bilateral negotiations with creditors, including China, while also engaging the United States and other international partners.
Kenya’s public debt has continued to place pressure on government finances, with a substantial portion of annual revenue going towards debt servicing.
Kalonzo said his approach would involve scrutinising how some of the existing debts were contracted before entering negotiations with creditors.
“Some of these debts were done under the table. We have to expose those. And we go for renegotiation,” he said.
He described Kenya’s debt situation as “a big trap”, arguing that the country needed to address existing obligations rather than continue relying heavily on borrowing to finance government programmes.
Kalonzo also cited the Limuru–Mau Summit Road project as an example of what he described as costly government decisions.
He claimed taxpayers were facing more than Sh6 billion in penalties following the cancellation of a contract involving a French company and the subsequent award of the project to a Chinese firm.
“We have to work on those,” he said.
The former Vice President also pointed to his diplomatic engagements, including a recent meeting with the outgoing French ambassador, as evidence of the international relationships he said could be useful in negotiating major economic and development agreements.
Kalonzo has increasingly highlighted his foreign-policy experience as he campaigns for the presidency, pointing to his previous service as Vice President and in other senior government positions.
His debt proposal comes as the 2027 political contest gathers pace, with opposition leaders positioning themselves around competing economic proposals as they seek to challenge President William Ruto.
Kalonzo says his administration would prioritise renegotiating existing debt obligations and strengthening diplomatic engagement with Kenya’s creditors rather than relying primarily on additional borrowing or increased taxation to meet the country’s financial commitments.
