Mombasa county assembly has called on China to expand their masters scholarship programs granted to Kenya to include undergraduate scholarships.
China has awarded Kenyan students thousands of scholarships for Masters programmes in Chinese universities.
On Monday, county speaker Aharub Khatri said Mombasa residents are among thousands of Kenyans who have benefited from the scholarships.
“This means China has helped Mombasa’s economy by equipping our people with requisite knowledge. If you could extend your generosity to include undergraduate scholarships, we will appreciate you more,” Khatri said.
He spoke when a high-level delegation from China’s National People’s Congress visited the assembly and Mombasa.
The delegation, led by NPC’s foreign affairs committee vice chairman, Hao Ping, is the first from China to visit Mombasa officially.
The historic visit saw the two parties discuss areas of mutual interest and collaboration including trade ties, economic partnerships and fostering cultural and governance exchanges.
Khatri said county members and staff attended a seminar on ecological and environmental data collection and big data platforms construction for developing countries in China.
This accorded the leaders and residents an opportunity to witness China’s advancement, which Mombasa intends to copy.
“We have to explore future partnerships in areas of development, bilateral relations, engagement between the two countries’ legislative bodies, the economy, governance, trade and promote more people to people exchanges, especially between NPC and County Assembly of Mombasa,” Khatri said.
Ping highlighted the similarities between Chinese and locals.
“It is the first trip to Mombasa for every member of this delegation and from the moment we stepped into this beautiful land, we could feel the friendship between the people of Kenya and the people of China, warm and bright as the sunlight,” he said.
