President Uhuru Downplays Fears over Huge China Debt
President Kenyatta has downplayed concerns raised by critics over the huge debt Kenya owes China.
In an interview aired on CNN, the President questions why Kenya's debt critics only talk about loans taken from China while there are many other countries that lend money to Kenya.
Uhuru says Kenya has what he describes as a "healthy mix of debt" because besides China, countries including Japan, United States, United Kingdom and many others lend to Kenya.
The President was speaking to CNN's Richard Quest in an interview recorded on Friday in Nairobi and aired on Monday night.
"Why are we focusing ourselves only on one lender?" Kenyatta quipped.
"As far as I am concerned, we have a very healthy mix of debt from the multilateral lenders — who are basically the World Bank and the African Development Bank — to bilateral lenders like Japan, China, France, all who are participating and working with us to help us achieve our objectives."
"We have an infrastructure gap that we need to fill and we are going to work with our partners across the globe who are willing to partner and to work with us."
He says he is not worried by Kenya's high ratio of debt against the gross domestic product (GDP).
"What would worry me is if the debt that we have incurred has gone into recurrent expenditure, has gone into paying salaries or electricity bills and so on and so forth. But what we have utilised our debt for is to close the infrastructure gap," he adds.
Comments
Mr President, you are not…
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Mr President, you are not worried about the huge debt, but the mwananchi is. The Mwananchi is the one being enslaved by the Chinese, being humiliated by the Chinese and all other foreigners in the name of that debt. Give dignity to Kenyans. What is the infrastructure for if the common mwananchi is dying under the weight of that debt. Kenyans are worried about that debt. What if Kenya cannot pay that debt in future? What are the terms of those debts? How about reducing MP's salaries, travel allowances,and stopping unnecessary travel abroad by MP's and governors, closing overseas useless embassies, stopping corruption. Corruption monies in Kenya can reduce or cut the current debt in half. Think about posterity. Look for money within not without.God give Kenya leaders not politicians. God help Kenya!!
He was born with a silver…
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He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. What do you expect.
He is rich, he doesn't pay taxes so he can downplay the loans after all it is the poor and jobless kenyans who will pay taxes.
Healthy debt 🤔
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Healthy debt 🤔
I watched the interview and…
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I watched the interview and it was great until Mr. President spoke about debt. He really tried to evade the question about the conspiracy of this huge sum of money being borrowed from China. Mr. President knew exactly what the interviewer was leading at and he intentionally tried to switch the context. How I wish the interviewer would have stated some concerns that Kenyans are saying regarding the borrowing of money and how it has nothing to do with helping the normal Kenyan. And who refers debts as healthy other than Uhuru. No debt of any kind is healthy. Why borrow money to build bridges when the economy is so poor. The people you are building bridges for have nothing to eat let alone vehicles to drive to and from. I just don’t get Kenya!
We don't want to hear about…
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We don't want to hear about this Chinese debt!. We want to hear the money corrupted by few don't cares is recovered and have raised standard living of poor Kenyans. It can also do development in someway and by that we cannot feel the wait of the debt. Debtors have taken the advantages of the corruption situation in our country. If we just had transparent, devoted, caring leaders we vote for our country would be far. How do they feel when the drain all the resources money, while poverty is killing mwananchi!. China is playing its cards wisely for its Citizens. By the time this guys comes to realize it will be too late to say. The way we prayed for unity after elections and we can see the outcome, let's pray for corruption to come to an end and those who have drained our country to be given amnesty to come forward and declare what they have darned and our Kenya to go forward the right. It can just start from all the citizens. We want our voices to be heard. This must start from the Sub Chiefs going upwards.
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