Claim: Between 2006 and 2017, Kenya took large loans from China to build a railway and other infrastructure, but if the Kenya defaults in its obligations, China may have some power over Kenyan assets like Mombasa port and Inland Container Depot.
Evidence: Between 2006 and 2017, Kenya took out loans of at least US$9.8 billion (Sh1043.77 billion) from China. China lent Kenya extensive funds to build highways and a railway between Mombasa and Nairobi, totaling over US$6.5 billion as of 2020. In late December 2018, Kenya reportedly came close to default on Chinese loans to develop its largest and most lucrative port, the Port of Mombasa. A default could have forced Kenya to relinquish control of the port to China. Debt-trap diplomacy is carried out in bilateral relations, with a powerful lending country seeking to saddle a borrowing nation with enormous debt so as to increase its leverage over it.