Road construction projects boost China's image in Kenya(2)

Such conversations have wiped out the negative perception Kenyans had of the Chinese. In Nairobi, they have become common especially during morning and peak hours when commuters on various roads spend endless hours in traffic jams as their counterparts on Thika superhighway cruise to work or home.

"The Chinese contractors are fantastic in their work. If it was a Kenyan company, it would still be doing the work or it would have long finished but we would now be negotiating through potholes," is a comment on the lips of many Nairobi commuters as they pass on road the Chinese are working on.

Thika superhighway is just one of the completed projects by the Chinese companies. These projects are acting as their ambassadors as they create a lasting image among Kenyans.

The Northern bypass is another work of the Chinese company. It stretches from Ruiru, through Ruai to Mombasa Road, and joins Old North Airport road, which is a key alternative artery to JKIA.

Ongoing road projects in the capital, according to Kenya Urban Roads Authority, are rehabilitation and dualing of Langata Road from Kenya Wildlife Service entrance to Bomas and Construction of City Cabanas interchange.

The Chinese are also working on the northern corridor road project, which connects Mombasa and Nairobi to Ethiopia and South Sudan.

The companies involved in the works include China Wu Yi, Synohydro Corporation, Shengli Engineering Construction Group and China Road &Bridges Corporation.

The fact that the Chinese build roads as Kenyans watch and use them has made their work stand out.

Unlike other contractors who close roads when they are constructing them, the Chinese allow motorists to use them as construction progresses. This has resonated well with Kenyans.