Chinese firm hands over access road, upgraded schools in Kenya's rural community

NAIROBI, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- The China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), contractor of Kenya's Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), on Thursday handed over an access road and upgraded schools to a community in southern county of Kajiado.

CRBC officials and local leaders witnessed the hand-over of the access road and the upgraded Kerarapon Primary and Secondary schools to the community.

Li Gang, the Assistant General Manager of CRBC, said financing the construction of an access road and modernization of schools in Kajiado County was in line with the firm's corporate social responsibility ethos that have cemented its relationship with local communities.

Li said CRBC as a responsible company has always been mindful of the needs and aspirations of the local communities while implementing mega infrastructure projects.

He revealed that CRBC rallied behind humanitarian interventions for drought victims in Turkana County in 2011 while supporting education for under-privileged children in Nairobi's informal settlements.

According to Li, CRBC has made donations to MCEDO Beijing Academy in Mathare slums and Ngara Girls High School located in Nairobi.

The 480-km Nairobi-Mombasa SGR project created over 46,000 jobs during its implementation by the CRBC which commenced in 2014 and was operationalized in 2017.

The CRBC has also fully sponsored 100 Kenyan bright high school graduates to study Railway Engineering in Beijing Jiaotong University and encouraged local supplies to deliver critical goods, materials and equipment to the SGR project.

Li said engineering related sectors in Kenya were revitalized while mutual benefits were realized during construction of the modern railway line.

The CRBC-financed access road and modern schools in Kajiado County will symbolize its spirit of Build Roads & Bridges, Make Contribution to the Society, he added.

Shamsha Adan, the director of Kajiado County Education Department, hailed the CRBC for its contribution toward infrastructure development and upgrading of social amenities in Kenya in the last three decades.

"The new classroom built by CRBC for Middle School will become a model for other schools in Kajiado County," said Adan.

"I hope that the children will study hard and contribute to the development of Kenya in the future," Adan added.