Kenya Treasury Secretary: “We Don’t Want to Give the Impression We Are Straining in Any Way”

The alarming headlines in today’s Kenyan newspapers about the country’s apparent inability to repay some of its debts contrasts sharply with the message conveyed by Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury Ukur Yatani in an interview with Bloomberg’s Africa bureau chief David Malingha:

David Malingha: Have you talked to China and have they responded to your requests for any form of debt relief?

CS Ukur Yatani: Foremost, let me correct the impression that the debt is only owed to China. We have debts to a number of bilateral and multilateral partners and we treat them equally. China is no exception. And we have not made any formal engagements to either reschedule debt or negotiate on any matter because at the moment we [have a] fairly balanced debt situation [and] because of those obligations we don’t want to give an impression that we are straining in any way.”

Yatani’s office has been aggressively pushing back on the “Kenya is broke” narrative, which is becoming increasingly prominent in the country’s national media. Last week, the secretary called those assertions “unfortunate and malicious.” He also refuted media reports that Kenya will take part in the G20’s Debt Service Suspension Initiative.

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The post Kenya Treasury Secretary: “We Don’t Want to Give the Impression We Are Straining in Any Way” appeared first on The China Africa Project.



source https://chinaafricaproject.com/2020/11/25/kenya-treasury-secretary-we-dont-want-to-give-the-impression-we-are-straining-in-any-way/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=kenya-treasury-secretary-we-dont-want-to-give-the-impression-we-are-straining-in-any-way

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