On Dec 6, the groundbreaking ceremony of the Upgrading Project of the Kibwezi-Kitui Road in Kenya,undertaken by a subsidiary company of POWERCHINA, was held in Kibwezi Town in southeast Kenya. President Uhuru Kenyatta and his wife, Vice President William Ruto, and Chinese ambassador to Kenya Liu Xianfa attended the ceremony, which marked the official groundbreaking of a major engineering project that the local residents have expected for more than a decade.
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| President Kenyatta meets with POWERCHINA staff members. |
President Kenyatta unveiled the monument for the project and instructed the construction vehicles to begin working. The local residents celebrated the official groundbreaking of the project and expressing their gratitude to the Chinese government and the contractor.
In his speech, President Kenyatta said the Kenyan Government will initiate more infrastructure projects in roads, dams, and irrigation facilities to develop Kenya. He also thanked the Chinese government for its assistance and contributions to the economic development of Kenya.
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| Construction vehicles begin working, effectively launching the project. |
In his remarks, Chinese ambassador Liu Xianfa said that China and Kenya share a long-term friendship. The Upgrading Project of the Kibwezi-Kitui Road is the first Kenyan road project fully funded by a Chinese business loan and under the EPC by a Chinese enterprise. He added that he firmly believes that the project will be conducted smoothly and bring economic and social benefits to local residents. Running from south to north, the Kibwezi-Kitui Road stretches some 145 kilometers. Once the Upgrading Project is completed in 2020, the current “soil road” will be transformed into an international A-level artery. It is expected to become a “logistics artery” for Kenya and for the whole of eastern Africa. The project benefitted from a business loan from the Export-Import Bank of China.
Builders from the POWERCHINA-affiliated Sino Hydro Bureau 13 Co., Ltd. said that the Upgrading Project will promote the development of the underdeveloped region of north Kenya.
