Kalonzo: China’s Xi Jinping told me he will visit Kenya when I become president

Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka claimed that during his tenure as Vice President, Chinese President Xi Jinping had promised to visit Kenya once he became president of the country. During a recent television interview, Musyoka discussed his plans to tackle Kenya's massive Ksh12.8 trillion debt burden and expressed his intention to hold direct talks with Kenya's creditors, which includes China.

He cited the Chinese leader's recent decision to visit Tanzania without stopping in Kenya as evidence of his genuine intentions. Musyoka argued that his administration would seek immediate bilateral discussions with major creditors to renegotiate debt obligations, as Kenya was unable to continue servicing such a large debt burden on its current revenue of approximately Ksh3.7 trillion.

He also claimed that some debts were incurred through secretive arrangements and his government would investigate these cases before negotiating for renegotiation. Musyoka pointed out China as one of the countries he would approach, but emphasized that Kenya would need to engage with other international partners like the United States.

He used the Limuru–Mau Summit Road project as an example of the financial repercussions of government decisions, mentioning Kenyan taxpayers paying over Ksh6 billion in penalties after a French company's contract was cancelled and handed over to a Chinese firm. Musyoka described Kenya's debt as a "big trap" and highlighted his international contacts to emphasize that such relationships could assist a future government in managing financial and development matters.

His proposal centers on renegotiating existing debt obligations instead of relying solely on new borrowing or increasing taxes.