NAIROBI, Kenya Jan 27 – Kenyan students who penned a heartfelt letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping expressing their gratitude for China’s support are overjoyed by the response they received.
President Xi’s reply has not only filled them with appreciation but also underscores the significance of Kenya-China relations and the fruitful collaborations between the two nations.
These students, who have benefited from the SGR scholarship program, co-signed the letter to President Xi during the celebrations commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative.
Their letter was a genuine expression of thanks for the opportunities they have received and included an invitation for President Xi to experience a ride on Kenya’s renowned infrastructural masterpiece, the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR).
Representatives of the student group, including Everline Mugenya, Tafawa Patricia, and Issa Abdirizak, expressed their great honor at receiving a response from President Xi. For them, President Xi’s acknowledgment is a validation of their gratitude for the invaluable support provided by China, which has allowed many of them to become graduates in various engineering disciplines.
Mugenya, while sharing her experience at a forum hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Nairobi, explained that some of the students faced significant challenges accessing higher education before China Roads and Bridges Corporation (CRBC) intervened with the SGR scholarship program. Over the years, 100 students, primarily recent high school graduates, were sent to China in three batches to study railway operations and engineering.
“It was a big deal. I have never experienced such a high level of care. It was thus important that we share our gratitude to the Chinese people through the President,” she said.
Concilia Owire, the first female SGR locomotive driver, shared her own experiences and the benefits of technology transfer under the Kenya-China SGR partnership. She emphasized the group’s mission to see the SGR expand further, saying, “We appreciate the letter. It shows Xi values SGR. Our mission is that SGR expands more.”
Joseph Maritim, the first Kenyan student to participate in the longstanding exchanges between Kenya and China, highlighted the virtues he learned during his time in China, stating, “While there, I learned about the virtues of honesty, integrity, and time-keeping. Interactions between us are the only way to make our countries better.”
China’s Minister Counsellor in Kenya, Zhang Zhizhong, noted, “It would make a memorable story. The embassy is always ready to facilitate the mutual exchange between our two people.”
Dr. Henry Rotich, Chairman of the Kenya-China Alumni Association, asked Chinese Ambassador Zhou Pingjian to convey appreciation of the other 1,400 students who have benefited from the China airlift programs. He added, “We are doing great, transforming our lives and that of Kenyans and promoting greater cooperation between the two countries.”
In his response to the students’ letter, President Xi encouraged them to continue contributing to the friendship between China and Kenya and between China and Africa, stating, “You have helped build and spread the friendly cooperation between China and Kenya and between China and Africa.”
President Xi expressed hope for the continuation of their traditional friendship and urged the students to contribute to building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future.
Kenya is one of the three African countries specifically recognized by the Chinese government, highlighting the importance of this partnership in President Xi’s vision of a shared future.
