Adhere Cavince is a scholar of international relations with a focus on China-Africa development cooperation
This year, 2026, marks the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges; an initiative launched at the African Union headquarters to deepen cultural, educational, and societal ties between our regions. But as we celebrate this milestone, we must confront an uncomfortable question: Who is telling the story of Kenya-China relations?
In today’s international relations discourse, we talk about the concept of China opportunity. This is where China’s capabilities meet the needs of not only the developing countries but also those of advanced economies. You only need to look at the recent global initiatives on security; civilization; development, governance as well as the Belt and Road Initiative – all fronted by China to fashion a new sense of international relations with peace and development at its core.
Over the past two decades, China has become Kenya’s largest trading partner, a top source of foreign direct investment, and a key ally in our modernization from ports and railways to energy and digital projects. Yet these tangible achievements often compete with entrenched stereotypes. Western media has long framed South-South cooperation through prisms of debt, dependency and even disaster.
Here in Kenya, we cannot outsource our narrative. We must be the primary authors of our own story; particularly when it comes to the development partnership with China.
The media is not a passive observer. It is an active agent in fostering people-to-people connectivity, cultural exchange, and durable development. When done right, journalism builds investor confidence, breaks myths, and shapes public opinion toward progressive outcomes.
Consider the success paradox: Many Chinese-funded projects in Kenya such as the Standard gauge Railway, The Nairobi Expressway and Lamu Deep Sea Port, are highly visible physically but poorly articulated in local media. We must move beyond groundbreakings and handovers to tell human-centered stories: the Kenyan engineer trained in railway technology, the small trader accessing new markets, the scholarship student returning to build home. These are the real outcomes of South-South cooperation.
Media is also a cure for misconception. From alleged debt traps to claims of low-quality construction, misinformation has repeatedly strained public perception of Kenya-China partnerships. Kenyan journalists have a duty to investigate, verify, and contextualize. China’s foreign policy marked by respect for sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs of other countries resonates deeply with African nations. Our media should amplify this principle, not let it be drowned by foreign alarmism and geopolitical rhetoric.
Yet cultural understanding must precede cooperation. Media should actively showcase Chinese and Kenyan cultures, cuisines, festivals, and values. This creates the affective affinity that makes diplomatic agreements meaningful at the grassroots level.
With 75% of Kenya’s population under 35, media must use digital platforms to engage young people on China-Kenya development cooperation. According to a 2024 perceptions survey by the Ichikowitz Family Foundation, 82% of African youth see China as the most influential power in the continent. Media should harness this goodwill into productive dialogue on jobs, innovation, and skills transfer
For too long, the story of China-Kenya relations has been told by distant voices with foreign interests. It is time for Kenyan and Chinese journalists, editors, and content creators to take the pen. By telling balanced, human, and future-oriented stories, we can generate not just headlines, but hope; not just clicks, but cooperation; not just news, but a new narrative for the Global South.
Every railway, every scholarship, every trade deal is ultimately about people. And people connect through stories. Let us tell those stories well.
The writer is a scholar of international relations with a focus on China-Africa development cooperation. X: @Cavinceworld.
