Chinese President Hu Jintao (
Hu arrived in Nairobi on Thursday night from oil-rich Nigeria, where he signed a series of major business deals. Hu said during that trip that China is seeking "a strategic partnership" with the continent that would improve living standards for Africa.
But critics of China's influence in Africa wonder how Beijing's increasing economic impact affects Western goals. China has offered key diplomatic support to some governments shunned by the West, like Sudan and Zimbabwe.
"In Kenya, the West is trying to promote an anti-corruption agenda. There is a fear that Chinese intervention has resulted in negative effects on that process," said Duncan Innes-Ker, an Economist Intelligence Unit analyst in London.
He noted that China "has always been very keen to build relationships with developing countries. It has a long history of sending doctors to Africa and providing assistance."
But, "I don't think China's foreign policy is ever really driven by philanthropy. ... The government's agenda tends to be driven by Chinese national interests," he said.
China and Kenya inked an oil exploration deal yesterday although officials were tight-lipped about details of the agreement, which was not even mentioned in a joint communique released by the two sides.
Kenyan Foreign Minister Raphael Tuju, however, said the pact had been concluded.
"A particular sector in which we have reached the stage of signing an agreement is in the energy sector," he told reporters after Hu and Kibaki held talks.
He said the deal was signed by Kenya's acting energy minister Henry Obwocha and the China National Offshore Oil Corp.
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