Will China seize prized port if Kenya can’t pay back its belt and road loans?
- Kenyan president strongly denies port at risk of being seized
- Report again raises questions about the risks for countries borrowing from China for infrastructure projects
The prospect that China might at some point be able to seize Kenya’s prized port of Mombasa has caused public confusion and alarm and again raised questions about the risks of participating in China’s “Belt and Road Initiative”.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has strongly denied a local media report that the East African nation was at risk of having China seize the strategic port in compensation for unpaid debt related to belt and road infrastructure development projects.
According to online news portal African Stand, Kenya may soon have to hand over control of its largest and most developed port, while other assets related to the inland shipment of goods from Mombasa, on the Indian Ocean coast, may also be affected.
The report cited a recently completed audit by Kenya’s auditor-general which indicated China could seize the port if Kenya was unable to repay its debt.
Beijing needs to take belt and road worries of nations on board
Kenyatta described the report as “propaganda” at a round table discussion with journalists on Friday, according to Nairobi’s The Star newspaper.