Building Infrastructure — And Debt To China

The amount of Chinese loans to Kenya has grown nearly tenfold in the five years since China unveiled its Belt and Road Initiative. Now almost three-quarters of Kenya’s bilateral debt is owed to China. The loans include $3.2 billion to finance a railway between the capital Nairobi and the port city of Mombasa.

Notes

*2018 data on bilateral debt are from Kenya’s National Treasury’s March 2018 bulletin.
The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics reports bilateral debt, unadjusted for inflation, using outstanding debt as of June 30 of each year. Hence, a loan issued and tabulated at the end of 2014 would be included in the 2015 bilateral debt.