Chinese professor builds family in Kenya

Chinese Professor Liu Gaoqiong, a lecturer at Egerton University in Kenya, is a real reflection of the existing cooperation between the two countries.

From working in the department of Crops, Horticulture and Soils to marrying a woman of Kenyan origin, Professor Liu gives a likeness to areas of exchange for progressive development.

He came to Kenya in 1997 through the exchange programme "China- Kenya High Education Cooperation Project" and since then, his expertise, knowledge and skills have impacted Kenya's economy in various scales.

As a specialist in horticulture, he pioneered the establishment of high tunnel greenhouses which he said was rare in flower farming.

"Now farmers and industries are enjoying the benefits of the high tunnel greenhouses," he said.

Transferring better and sustainable skills to the horticultural farmers is a key function that he has done passionately as he said.

Professor Liu recalled visiting a farmer who, for a couple of years, had been counting losses due to disease and bad weather.

But when he advised him to control the disease with plastic mulching, his productivity was revived.

"I was happy to assist the farmer end his distress and that marks one of my achievements so far," asserted Professor Liu.

Part of his job involves supervising the undergraduate and graduate students, the majority of whom are Kenyans. He described them as hardworking and focused on gaining important skills necessary for improving economies in both countries.

Under his tutelage, more than 200 students in the undergraduate and graduate programmes have already gone to China to study subjects within the field of agriculture, some of whom are closely working with both Chinese and Kenyan corporations.

The areas of agriculture, education and technology are among those, as Professor Liu pointed out, both countries can widely experience mutual benefits.

"Both Kenya and China have specific strongholds. Kenya is far more developed in agriculture and China is advanced in technology. These are the areas that each can learn from each other," he said.

Having come from a different working environment with diverse cultures, his stay in Kenya in the maiden months was challenging as he sought to acclimatize with the surrounding, which finally leading to his marriage to Elizabeth Chepkemboi from the Kalenjin community and their three daughters.

And in his family, a weekly menu does not wrap up without a mixture of the Chinese and Kenyan food.

"If the kids take long before taking the Chinese food, they will complain. If days go by before cooking Kenyan food, they will also complain," he said.

Although Kiswahili and English form the medium of conversation at home, he said, they teach their children to speak in both Chinese and Kalenjin.

Professor Liu said there are great opportunities for socio- cultural exchanges between the two countries.

"China has a big market and Kenya supplies huge horticultural raw materials and therefore they both have great opportunities for social, cultural or economic exchanges," he added.

China has become Kenya's largest source of foreign direct investment and largest trade partner with a cumulative direct investments of about 474 million U.S. dollars by June 2013.

China has stood out to be a key player in enhancing Kenya's infrastructural developments and protecting wildlife which draws Kenya millions of shillings.

The two sectors are the key drivers of the East African state's economy which seeks to become a middle-income economy by 2030.

Last year, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta signed 17 mega deals with China's Premier Li Keqiang, including construction of a modern 1,250-kilometer Standard Gauge Railway worth U.S 3.8 billion dollars and an agreement for continued support in protecting the wildlife.

Implementation of the economic deals is expected to promote a boom in trade, growth and expansion of major investments in the manufacturing sector.