New Internationalist - 11.2019 - 12.2019

China

O

ne recent Saturday morning I took my

grandmother to the Nairobi termi-

nus of the Chinese-built and financed

Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), a gleam-

ing edifice of glass and steel rising from

the dust on Old Mombasa Road. Saturday

morning is one of the busiest times at the

station, as Nairobi residents travel down

to the coast for the weekend, for business,

pleasure or to see their families.

We were already late, having underes-

timated the traffic. This meant that I had

to gently rush my 80-year-old grand-

mother through the robust security

checks, which involved laying down one’s

bags in a straight row and standing

behind a yellow line, as the security

guards had their dogs sniff the bags one

after the other.

Luckily my grandmother got on the

train in the nick of time, but only because

the ticket guard let her to the front of the

queue by virtue of her age and my bois-

terous appeals.

I walked back to the car feeling flus-

tered, smarting from the intimidating

presence of the guards, especially their

dogs. It felt unnecessary: a pompous

flexing of power, as passengers were lined

up like criminal suspects.

Wrong side of the tracks

But my frustration was perhaps, at a

deeper level, an incarnation of my feel-

ings about the SGR itself: that it was never

actually needed and would not be value

THE BEIJING CONNECTION

China is Africa’s largest trading partner and has become deeply

involved with the continent’s politics in recent years. This has not

been without its controversies. Christine Mungai reflects on the past,

present and future of the relationship between these two powerhouses.

NOVEMBER- DECEMBER 2019 31

I