Essay On Chinese China In Kenya

China’s foray in Africa is not just influencing governments’ economic and trade policies but indications show that this influence permeates in the social sphere as well.

While African governments strive to work on policies attractive to the Chinese investors and tourists, socially, there is a rise in the number of local institutions that wish to cash in on the rising number of Chinese locally by offering courses in Chinese cuisines and recipes.

Utalii College in Kenya, is a leading training institution in the East and Central Africa and according to Charles Gitonga, the director of studies at the institution, the number of youths either applying or calling in to enquire about programmes in Chinese cuisines and recipes is on the rise.

Already, students studying food and beverage at the institution are also taught foreign languages including Chinese.

Many students, according to Gitonga opt to study Chinese cooking with the hope of landing a job given the plethora of Chinese restaurants which keep popping up not only in Kenya but all over Africa.

Stella Muriuki owns a private college of culinary and she is just amazed by the rise in the number of young girls interested in learning Chinese cooking.

“The type of girls I get are those who aspire to serve in the homes of increasing Chinese expatriates in Nairobi. They come to learn Chinese recipes with the hope that this will give them competitive advantage,” she says.

Not to be left behind, the well-established hotel chains in most of East African cities have also taken to creating special restaurants targeted at Chinese clientele.

For example, the Impala Hotel in Arusha, Tanzania that is a popular stop over for tourists sightseeing such attractions as Mt Kilimanjaro and the Se...

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...n said last year that 80 million of the 1 billion people who toured the world in 2013 were Chinese tourists and they spent USD91 billion. This compared favorably with 70 million Chinese travelers in 2011 who spent USD69 billion.

Kenya like other African countries is on the over drive to offer itself as the best destination for the rising number of Chinese travelers.

Early May, the Kenya government’s tourism agency, the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) upped its marketing drive targeted at Chinese tourists with the visit into the country by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

Muriithi Ndegwa Managing Director said China –Kenya relations were boosted last year in November when the Kenya Airways launched direct flights from China to Kenya.

According to the ministry of Tourism, the sector contributes to 14% in Kenya’s economy and one in ten Kenyans work in tourism related jobs.