Full steam ahead for Sino-Kenyan relations

Railway project offers opportunities for learning

Many Kenyans say their misconceptions about the Chinese have gone after working with them on the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway project.

China Road and Bridge Corp employs more than 10,000 Kenyans and about 1,900 Chinese on the project, with many opportunities for interaction.

Isaac Musau, a human resource officer of Stoney Athi Camp, one of the three camps at Section No 5 of the project, says there are about 560 Kenyans and 45 Chinese working in his area.

"Initially, the misconception was there, because you know the Chinese are not very common in Africa. We are used to working with Western countries. So there was resistance, people didn't want the Chinese to come in. We are not used to these people. Why should they come in?" says Musau.

"After I worked with Chinese, I began to realize they are people who can understand us. That misconception is not there at the moment."

He found the relationship between the Chinese and Kenyans improved after several months of working together.

"Initially, they didn't understand each other. They were scared of each other. Now they make jokes and the relationship is very good," he says. "Sometimes when we are free after work, we talk. We ask them what happens in China, about their culture, what they believe and how they feel about Kenyans."

Some Chinese are trained in Swahili and some Kenyans are picking up Chinese. "They are ready to learn," Musau says.

Lily Bridget Chepkemoi, who works in the laboratory of Section No 5, has also been discussing interesting topics with her Chinese colleagues after work.

"We talk about how many wives you can have in China and how many in Kenya," says Chepkemoi. In China, according to the law, each man can marry only one wife. In Kenya, men can marry more than one wife if he treats them equally.

It is through these interactions that Chepkemoi has also cast aside her misgivings about the Chinese. "At first, I thought they didn't like Africans. But I realize that they do have a heart just like us. They do feel the same as we do," she says, citing Chinese colleagues who made memorial cards for a Kenyan colleague who had lost his wife, even though they did not know him well.

"Over time, many Chinese are coming in so we are going to know what they are like. They are just normal like us. There are good people and bad people, there are just people in between," she adds.

Some Chinese employees working on the railway project even managed to interact with the family members of their Kenyan colleagues using the broken Swahili they have learned.

James Kibe, a team foreman, says his parents are very proud of his job and call him often asking about his work with the Chinese.

"Sometimes, my Chinese boss speaks with my parents and is very friendly," he said. "You know, sometimes, our language is not so difficult. So the Chinese are learning from us, and we welcome it."

houliqiang@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 06/05/2015 page7)