A report published by the Pentagon on Tuesday last week asserts that China is mulling setting up a military base in Kenya.
This is in a bid to strengthen its military strength.
“The PRC (Peoples Republic of China) has likely considered Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Seychelles, Tanzania, Angola, and Tajikistan as locations for PLA (People’s Liberation Army) military logistics facilities,” said the Pentagon in its annual “China Military Power” report to Congress.
Going by details contained in the report, China is reportedly said to have started talks with Kenya in a bid to set up the military logistics base.
Kenya is, however, yet to comment on this.
The report suggested that this is a tactic by China to gain global recognition in its foreign-policy objectives especially in African countries.
Before the Pentagon report, the US had cautioned Kenya against borrowing heavily from China to fund mega infrastructural projects in the country.
The US quipped that this could be a “bait” for Kenya and other African countries who could default in the loan payment.
Washington-based Africa Centre for Strategic Studies (ACSS) in 2019 cautioned Africa from borrowing heavily from the Chinese citing that Beijing would leverage on this to gain political influence and military reach.
Speaking of the On Belt, One Road project, ACSS warned that “China’s $900 billion One Belt, One Road (OBOR) Initiative, which now helps finance 1,700 infrastructure projects in over 60 countries, is first and foremost a Chinese geopolitical project designed to advance China’s grand strategy.”
The Kenyan government in response maintained that the infrastructural development funded by China will power up Kenya’s economy and service the debt as agreed.
Already, China has an outpost in Djibouti where Chinese Marines have been deployed with heavy artillery and armoured vehicles.
