China hands over Sh1bn culture centre to Kenyatta University

The Chinese government on Thursday officially handed over a modern international culture and language centre worth over Sh1.09 billion to the Kenyatta University.

The building hosting a Confucius Institute, an Africa Education Institute, an International Languages Centre and a culture centre will be used towards promotion of local, African and foreign languages, arts and culture.

Its construction began in 2016 and was completed in February last year.

Speaking on behalf of the Chinese ambassador to Kenya during the handing over ceremony at the main campus on Thursday, Mr Li Xuhang, the officer in charge of affairs at the Chinese Embasy, said the four-winged building financed by the Chinese government through a grant competitively won by KU, is a mark of increased collaborations between Kenya and China in the education sector.

“Other than this building, the Chinese government through the China Exim bank facilitated the setting up of the state-of-the-art Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospital that is now completed,” said Mr Xuhan.

EQUIP FACILITY

The hospital was built at a cost of Sh11 billion, much of which went into equipping the facility with modern diagnostics equipment.

The handing over ceremony was attended by top officials from the National Treasury, Ministry of Education and Kenyatta University chairman of the council prof. Shem Migot.

Treasury Secretary Henry Rotich noted that the country’s key bilateral linkages with the People’s Republic of China have resulted in a number of benefits, especially in bridging infrastructural gaps.

“This has not been an easy path given the various global challenges associated with international financing for infrastructural projects. However our partners have and continue to stand with us in our efforts to modernise our national infrastructure across various sectors,” said Mr Rotich in a speech read on his behalf by Treasury’s director for resource allocation, Jackson Kinyanjui.

Education Secretary Amina Mohamed noted that the handing over ceremony was timely due to the ongoing efforts by her ministry to promote delivery of quality education and align the country’s education with the global trends.