Propaganda. That is how President Uhuru Kenyatta has described reports that the Port of Mombasa could be taken over by China if Kenya defaults on paying its loan for the SGR.
“The issue of the take over of Mombasa Port by China is pure propaganda. We are ahead of our payment schedule for the SGR loan and there is no cause for alarm,” Uhuru said.
The President spoke on Friday during a round table discussion with journalists.
The president said though there has been public outrage and concerns about Chinese lending, his government will continue to borrow.
“We must appreciate where we are. All these issues are just a chicken in the egg. We are borrowing to handle the huge infrastructure deficit. It is not about incurring debt but how we use it,” he said.
Uhuru said it is not only China that is lending its money to Kenya but also Japan, France, Germany and America.
“China is not seeking to colonise us but they understand us to our point of need. By matter of fact we are ahead of the payment schedule and so Kenyans must ignore any propaganda being peddled. I will continue to borrow but develop,” Uhuru said.
Kenyans on Twitter, however, took issue with the President comparing Kenya’s debt to GDP ration with that of a first-world country – Japan.
