Super-highways and Infrastructure Development in Kenya: The Political Economy of Kenya-China Road Development Projects Since 2013

Abstract

BACKGROUND:In the last two decades, Kenya’s development agenda has focused on Vision 2030’s aim of transforming the country into an industrialised, modern-middle-income state. To fulfill this desired economic growth, the government has emphasised infrastructure improvement, a move that has prompted heavy borrowing, especially from China. Despite the numerous studies on China’s involvement in road construction, there has been no attempt to look at how the Kenya Road Classification System can inform and influence the choice of road projects. In addition, limited studies have illustrated the theoretical standpoint of China-Kenya road improvement projects. OBJECTIVE:Therefore, this paper explores the interest of China in road construction in Kenya through the analysis of the Kenya road classification system. In addition, it examines how the Kenya-China road construction projects can be described from a neoliberal standpoint. METHOD:The paper draws from an analysis of grey literature, including newspapers, blogs, and internet archives, and ethnographic fieldwork on national infrastructure projects, particularly roads in Kenya. CONCLUSION:The findings suggest that China’s primary focus is on trunk roads (class ‘A’ roads), which play a critical role in regional access to resource-rich regions and provide strategic geopolitical and territorial positioning. We argue that the Kenya National and Highway Authority’s Road Classification System can reveal the political and economic interests in road construction.