Toll roads: inspiration from China

Toll roads are in the offing. The government has finally realized that it is better to light a candle than curse the darkness. The idea of introducing toll roads has been circulating in relevant government quarters for some time now. This has come after the realization that public coffers alone cannot sustain the soaring demand for more roads. Whereas China has played a significant role in financing and improving the road network in the country, lessons abound on how to effective bridge the budget deficit through public private partnerships.

The government has already announced that Kenyans will soon start paying for use of major roads in major towns and highways through toll charges to finance construction and repair of new roads. Users of the Thika superhighway were supposed to be the first to pay toll fees but the implementation has been postponed. Other projects set to be funded by tolling include a second bridge at Nyali in Mombasa and the building of a dual carriage superhighway between Mombasa through Nairobi and to Nakuru.

The pay for use arrangement involves investors who put their money in infrastructural projects and recoup their money by charging users market price rate fees over time. This arrangement is effective because it allows the government to meet its infrastructural obligations that it would otherwise have not afforded in a short period of time without debt.

A recent Africa infrastructure report indicated the huge infrastructure budget deficit Kenya faces. Kenya requires approximately over Sh320 billion per year over the next decade to address the deficit. This deficit can only be met by an efficient toll authority that will not only construct and maintain the roads, but regulate traffic efficiently in major towns.

Although many people view toll charges as double taxation from government, there are many benefits that come with toll road charges that not many people notice. “We have to embrace tolling. Look how far it has taken China and India,” Transport secretary Michael Kamau averred.

China is a global leader and a great example of a country that has used toll roads to fund its massive national road network in a very short time. It does indeed have about 70 percent of the world’s total length of tolled roads. No other country has built an Expressway network of such scale in such a short period of time in history.

The establishment of China’s National Trunk Highway System in 1991 was the beginning of road infrastructure miracle in China. Investments were made to construct an Expressway network of nearly 85,000 km, a Class-I highway of 68,000 km, and Class-II highway of 320,000 km. Road tolls were used to help contribute to and to recover all financing costs.

The use of toll roads to finance road infrastructure is increasingly being used in countries whose highway capital and operating expenditure requirements outstrip public resources to pay for them. This is true for countries such as Brazil, India, France, Italy, Germany, Japan and many others. In the United States, more than 4,000kms of the Interstate Highway system are tolled.

As a country that has greatly benefited from improved road infrastructure from China, Kenya needs to continuously consider the new standards set and emulate the blueprint that China has laid for us. The Asian giant has made considerable contributions in our roads infrastructure over the recent past, but we cannot expect China to take over the government’s infrastructure obligations.

Many economists and transportation experts see toll roads as the inevitable solution to our road transportation problems and predict a lot of benefits if implemented. They argue that apart from financing the projects, it will improve efficiency in managing both existing and future infrastructure projects. If congestion rises, prices rise and that signals the need for expansion and ensuring that the road facility meets the demand.

Secondly, toll roads increase fuel economy. By increasing the overall capacity of a region’s road network system, toll roads are able to absorb some of the excess traffic that would otherwise have contributed to traffic congestion on non-tolled roads. This enables vehicles to move at more fuel efficient speeds at both toll and non-tolled roads. Moreover, the accident rate on toll roads is lower than other roads, because the flow of traffic is more even.

Toll roads also reduce urban sprawl by balancing the cost of using a road. Traffic congestion is the direct result of under-pricing of roads. The pay to use arrangement depending on market demand would give less incentive to drivers to use busy roads, or live in congested areas and would resort to use either public transportation, or move to areas closer to work or where they travel most.

It is time to embrace toll roads and the government cannot effort to be left behind in this re-emerging strategy of financing road infrastrure. China has proved that this strategy is efficient and workable and the results are there for all and sundry to see.

Third Confucius Institute to propel Chinese Cultural exchange in Kenya

The third Confucius Institute in Kenya was launched as part of the special occasion of the 50^th Anniversary of Kenya’s Independence and the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Kenya.

The establishment of the third Confucius institute in Kenya signifies Kenya’s importance as a reliable friend and a strategic partner in China’s cultural diplomacy. It also highlights China’s commitment to culture and people to people exchanges in Kenya and the region.

The first Confucius Institute in Kenya was established at the University of Nairobi on 19^th December 2005. It was the first Confucius institute of its kind to be established in Africa and was highly significant for China’s cultural offensive that the then Chinese president Mr. Hu Jintao paid it a visit during his visit to Kenya in the year 2006. It has been instrumental in promoting the understanding of Chinese language and culture since its launch. 

The Confucius Institute at University of Nairobi has been voted top 20 Confucius Institutes globally with the excellent reward six times in succession from 2007 to the end of 2012. It is an official HSK test center in Kenya for the HSK Department.  HSK is “Hànyǔ Shuǐpíng Kǎoshì” meaning Chinese Proficiency Test, the only standardized test of Standard Chinese language proficiency for non-native speakers of mandarin such as foreign students, overseas Chinese, and members of China’s ethnic minority groups. The test is administered by Hanban, a non-government organization affiliated with the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China.

Because of the high demand and interest in Chinese language and culture in Kenya, the second Confucius Institute was established at Kenyatta University in December 2008. It offers free lessons for one academic year to any student who is interested in learning the basics of Chinese language, an effort for which they receive a certificate. This gesture has been received well and students, teachers, businessmen and tour operators have grabbed the opportunity and registered in droves.

The launch of the third Confucius institute at Egerton University will give Kenya the highest number of such institutes in Africa with South Africa, further cementing Kenya’s place as a key center of cultural diplomacy in the region. Moreover, the Confucius institute at Kenyatta University is conducting a pioneer programme in which a select group of secondary school teachers from schools within Nairobi can learn Chinese. The group of about 20 teachers is then expected to teach Chinese to students in their respective institutions. It is worth noting that the Chinese language has also permeated various primary schools in the country as a foreign language of study.

Since the establishment of the first Confucius institute in Kenya, over 200 students from the Confucius institutes have gone on to study in China on scholarships. For instance, in the last four years, there were 45 students in 2009, 40 in 2010, 97 in 2011 and 17 in 2012 that got long-or-short-term scholarships and studied in China. Currently, some of them are still studying on scholarship in China; 7 are studying for master’s degrees, 2 for bachelor’s degrees and 13 for one-year certificates in Tianjin Normal University.

Confucius Institutes in Kenya have made a significant contribution to the development of strong cultural and economic links between China and Kenya. The Institutes are mandated to teach Chinese Language and Culture, Chinese Fine Arts, Sports and Games, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Confucius Philosophy and other related Chinese programmes. They facilitate Sino-Kenya educational and cultural exchanges through specific programmes and consolidating and carrying on the friendship among the two countries. They are meant to be bridges that unite the Chinese people and the Kenya people and unlock business and trade cooperation.

Confucius Institutes are named after Chinese philosopher Confucius. His philosophy emphasized personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice and sincerity. He espoused the well-known principle "Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself", an early version of the Golden Rule.

Confucius institutes have become a platform for cultural exchanges as well as bridges for reinforcing friendship and cooperation between China and the rest of the world. There are more than 350 Confucius institutes in 180 countries which are promoting the philosophy of the ancient Chinese scholar while facilitating cultural and educational exchanges. They are modelled on France’s Alliance Francaise, Germany’s Goethe Institute, and the British Council, but enjoy the added advantage of being attached to universities as independent departments awarding certificates, diplomas and degrees in Chinese language studies.

The interaction and understanding between the Chinese people and Kenyan people has increased tremendously necessitating the establishment of the third Confucius Institute in Kenya. This opens a good opportunity for Kenya’s future if many can speak Chinese because China’s economy is growing very fast and this will translate into more opportunities for Kenyans as the two countries work closely to achieve mutual development goals.