The ruling United democratic Alliance (UDA) party has reaffirmed its growing partnership with China following a high-level meeting at State House, Nairobi, on November 27, 2025, between President William Samoei Ruto and a delegation from the Export-Import Bank of China (China Exim Bank)
The delegation, led by Exim Chairman Chen Huaiyu and Chinese Ambassador to Kenya, Guyo Haiyan, met with President Ruto to discuss the bilateral cooperation and China’s expanding investment footprint in the country.
The meeting comes a day after Kenya signed a KSh24 billion concessional loan to fund an ambitious Intelligent Transport System (ITS) for Nairobi.
President Ruto’s Dream
In the meeting, President Ruto laid out Kenya’s economic roadmap for transforming the country into a first-world economy.
He noted that the country intends to triple its national power generation capacity to 10,000 MW, construct 50 mega dams for irrigation and hydropower, dual 2,500 kilometres of highways, develop 20,000 kilometres of new roads, expand airports and ports, and extend the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from Naivasha to Malaba on the Uganda border.
Also Read: How Kenya Will Raise Ksh517 Billion to Extend SGR to Malaba
China Exim Bank has been a major financier of Kenyan infrastructure, having previously bankrolled the Nairobi Expressway, some portions of the SGR, the Thika Superhighway upgrade, and several power transmission lines.
Chinese enterprises continue to broaden their presence in Kenya despite the country owing Chinese lenders approximately $8.8 billion as of June 2025.
Also Read: How Kenya Will Save Ksh27 Billion Annually After Major Loan Deal With China
President Ruto said these strategic priorities will create substantial opportunities for expanded partnership and investment from China, the China Exim Bank, and Chinese private-sector players.
President Ruto also used the chance to renew his push for China Exim Bank to open a regional office in Nairobi, a strategic move that would fast-track project approvals and reduce financing delays for Kenyan contractors.
More Loans For Kenya
Barely 24 hours before Thursday’s meeting, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi and China Exim Bank Deputy General Manager Zhu Jia signed a $185 million loan agreement at the National Treasury headquarters.
The funds are intended for Kenyan development projects and were scheduled to finance the Nairobi Intelligent Transport System, a high-tech traffic management project that will deploy artificial intelligence, smart traffic lights, and real-time monitoring to ease road congestion, improve road safety, and cut vehicle emissions in the city.
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