NAIROBI, Kenya — China’s Vice President Han Zheng is set to visit Kenya next week as part of a broader diplomatic tour of Africa, in a move that comes amid renewed infrastructure cooperation between Nairobi and Beijing.
In a statement issued on Friday, March 20, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Han’s visit will run from March 22 to 30 and will also include stops in South Africa and Seychelles.
The trip follows invitations from Kenya’s Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, South Africa’s Paul Mashatile, and Seychelles Vice President Sebastien Pillay.
The high-level visit comes just a day after President William Ruto launched the extension of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from Naivasha to Malaba, signaling a possible deepening of Kenya-China ties in infrastructure financing and development.
SGR extension takes center stage
Speaking during the launch in Narok County, Ruto underscored the economic urgency of extending the railway, describing the current line as incomplete.
“From the onset, we were clear that for the SGR to unlock its full potential and economic value, it would have to extend beyond Narok,” he said.
“A railway that terminates at Narok is incomplete because it does not reach the major production zones of western Kenya, does not connect with the lake transport system in Kisumu, and does not capture the full volume of outbound freight that sustains a modern rail economy in the East African region.”
The planned extension, particularly the 262.3-kilometre Narok–Kisumu segment (Phase 2B), is expected to serve as a strategic economic corridor linking Nairobi’s industrial base to key agricultural regions including Narok, Bomet, Kericho, Nyamira, Busia, and Kisumu.
Trade and logistics pressures
Ruto highlighted inefficiencies in the current transport system, noting that cargo from the Port of Mombasa reached 7.37 million tonnes in the first half of 2025, with nearly 70 P.c destined for Uganda.
However, he said the journey from Mombasa to the Malaba border takes up to 80 hours and can exceed 100 hours to Kampala, undermining Kenya’s competitiveness.
“A slow transport corridor inevitably loses business and weakens our competitiveness as a nation,” he said.
The SGR extension is expected to significantly cut transit times, reduce logistics costs, and boost regional trade flows within the East African Community.
Economic ripple effects
According to the President, the railway expansion will unlock economic potential in western Kenya, a region known for producing tea, maize, sugar, and rice, as well as supporting a vibrant fisheries sector in Lake Victoria.
He added that the project will also decongest major highways by shifting cargo transport from road to rail.
“Each freight train removes hundreds of trucks from our highways, reducing accidents, lowering maintenance costs, and saving lives,” Ruto noted.
The government further projects that lower transport costs will translate into reduced food prices, cheaper construction, and enhanced industrial competitiveness.
Kisumu as a regional hub
A key pillar of the SGR expansion is the transformation of Kisumu into a multimodal logistics hub integrating rail, road, and lake transport.
“Kisumu will become a centre of distribution of trade serving not only Kenya but also the wider East African region,” Ruto said.
