Railway company, locals in Kenya stand with China in face of outbreak

As China steps up the fight against the novel coronavirus, a railway management company in Kenya has raised more than $33,000 to provide support in the battle against the outbreak.

On Jan 5 Africa Star Railway Operation Company or Afristar, a Chinese company that operates the Kenyan Standard Gauge Railway, submitted a donation drawn from employees in its departments, workshops and stations.

Speaking at the company's headquarters in Nairobi, Li Jiuping, general manager of Afristar, said they decided to do something to support China's effort to confront the virus out of concern for their motherland.

"Initially we planned to organize contributions among Chinese staff, but when local colleagues heard about the initiative they volunteered to participate, and we were deeply moved by their gesture," Li said.

Li added 610 Chinese employees and 182 Kenyan employees participated in the contribution drive. He also confirmed that as a company, they are working closely with the Chinese Embassy in Kenya to form a contingency plan.

"Wu Peng, the Chinese ambassador to Kenya, is very concerned about our safety operations and we have talked on several occasions about this. We totally support the embassy's 14-day quarantine suggestion for Chinese coming back to Kenya from China," Li said. "We have also informed our Chinese colleagues who are in China for the Spring Festival holiday not to travel back to Kenya unless it is unavoidable."

Speaking on behalf of Afristar's local workers, Harisson Kinyanjui, who serves as the company's comprehensive staff manager, said Kenyan workers at the company felt the need to stand with China due to the cordial working relationship they have with the Chinese company — and the fact that as human beings, it is important to stand with those going through difficulties.