Jaramogi's role on China

Raila Odinga wound up his tour of China Sunday, with a strong appeal to Chinese business people and government to support Kenya's efforts to improve its infrastructure.

The PM also managed to squeeze a deal that will enable the two countries to collaborate in the conservation of Kenya endangered wildlife species.

Addressing officials of the Provincial Government of Sichuan where research on the preservation of the Chinese Panda is centred, Mr Odinga said Kenya's rich biodiversity is under threats from a variety of sources and without concerted efforts for research and focused conservation actions, Kenya is likely to loose unique species some of which are endemic to the country.

In particular, Mr Odinga asked for collaboration with China in the conservation of the black and white rhino, Grevy's Zebra; the roan antelope, the Hirola; Eastern red colobus; Tana crested mangabey and the Sable antelope, which he said are threatened.

The Chinese officials promised greater collaboration in trade, infrastructure and conservation.

Endangered animal species

Mr Liu Qibao, the chairman of the Sichuan Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party said the government is keen to help Kenya preserve the endangered animal species as China has done with the Panda.

Mr Qibao also promised more collaboration between his state and Kenya in the field of agriculture.

He presented the PM with 30 tractors and 10 farm trucks to be donated to projects of the PM's choice as a manifestation of the readiness to co-operate in agriculture.

Chinese provinces run semi-autonomous systems from the central government and the provinces compete fiercely among themselves.

Sichuan is one of the key provinces targetted by the central government to promote China's growth and most of the Chinese firms with operations abroad, particularly in Kenya, are based here.

Power supply

Mr Odinga who landed in China last Thursday to attend an annual trade and economy fair in the Province of Sichuan, dug deep into the history of Kenya's ties with China, which he aid dates back to years when China was untouchable by many.

Addressing the Tenth Trade Fair in the city of Chengdu on Friday, the PM reminded the Chinese leaders that Kenya's first Vice President, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga was among the first African leaders to ask the UN to recognise the People's Republic of China.

The PM said the then Vice President, who had gone to New York as leader of Kenya's first delegation to the UN after independence, contributed significantly to gradual admission of China to the Security Council, after breaking away from the stand of the West and other African nations that opposed the recognition of the PRC.

The PM asked Chinese firms, some of which he visited, to invest in manufacturing of power saving electrical products and generation of energy, lamenting that inaquate power supply is hindering Kenya's economic growth.

At the Dong Fang Electric Power plant in the city of Chengdu, Mr Odinga said Kenya cannot compete when that firm alone produces products that use 26 times the installed capacity of the entire Kenya's electricity generation.

'Skills'

The PM extolled the capacity of the construction industry to create jobs and turn ordinary people into "experts" in various fields after the completion of a major infrastructure project in an area.

"Whenever we undertake a major construction project in an area, young people who were employed in it acquire skills in various areas in which they got trained for that specific project. When the project ends, these former employees remain behind with the skills. They use those skills to support themselves and the rural economy. That is why we are putting a lot of emphasis on infrastructure development as a way to spur our economy," the PM said at the Dong Fang headquarters.

Raila told Chinese government and business leaders that even in the best of times, the Kenya government has never invested in infrastructure as it is doing now and asked for China's support.

The PM promised that at the end of the five years, each part of the country will be having at least one major road that can be credited to the grand coalition government.

The cost of land, which had scared away investors because of speculators, is also being addressed, the PM told Chinese business leaders, asking them to take interest in developing cheap housing in Kenya.