Exploring Kenyans’ Perceptions Towards Lack of Transparency in Government Communication on Chinese-Funded Projects

Abstract

China-Kenya relationship has witnessed strong and steady growth, especially in the last two decades during the presidency of both Presidents Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta. The relationship has been described by both the Kenyan and Chinese governments as a win-win partnership. However, many Kenyans have expressed concerns regarding the perceived lack of transparency in the way the government has been communicating about Chinese-funded projects in the country. To entrench good governance and rule of law in the country, it is important that the government shares with the public details of its engagement with external partners, China included. Some have also questioned China’s desire to keep contents of its agreements with the Kenyan government confidential, thus potentially sustaining the perception of those agreements containing clauses that may be harmful to Kenya.The aim of this study was to explore perceptions of Kenyan citizens towards lack of transparency in government communication on China-funded projects in Kenya. This was a descriptive study that employed the use of a questionnaire as the main research instrument. The target respondents were drawn from master’s students at Daystar University, specifically those in the fields of Diplomacy, Development & International Security and Communication studies. All the respondents were purposively sampled and in total 107 students participated in this study. The study reveals that the government did not provide accurate and complete transparency on funding of Sino-Kenya projects, resulting in lack of trust in government communication and reduced support in government projects funded by the Chinese government. Although the study highlights the importance of China to Kenya as an important economic partner, it urges the Kenyan government to be forthright with information regarding Chinese funded projects to get the support of the Kenyan citizens.