Mombasa Catholic Diocese Archbishop Martin Kivuva has expressed concern over President William Ruto’s administration’s increasing loan borrowing, questioning whether the funds are being used for their intended purposes.

Speaking after Easter Sunday mass on April 20, 2025, in Mombasa, Kivuva said that many Kenyans are worried about the country’s rising debt, especially because there is little clarity on how the borrowed money is being spent.

Kivuva noted that it is the ordinary Kenyan who feels the weight of every loan taken, especially when it comes with increased taxes and a high cost of living. He emphasised that citizens have a right to ask tough questions because, eventually, it is the public that bears the burden of repayment.

“Mkenya anauliza je hela zile anazotuletea zinafanya kazi zilizo pangiwa na mtengo wa hela za Kenya na kama zipo zinaenda wapi?” Kivuva posed.

“Watu wanaulizana maswali haya, nafikiri Mkenya anawasiwasi kwa sababu deni letu na nchi zinginezo.”

The archbishop also noted that, based on recent reports, Kenya’s national debt has gone beyond the level many experts view as sustainable. He warned that unless things are brought under control, future leaders will inherit a heavy financial load.

“The national debt inasemekana imepita kipimo; the challenge is, mzigo huu utamlemea nani baadaye? Mzigo hutaleta anayechukua hatamu mwishoni atafanyani na hizi tuite mikopo ambazo zimezidi kipimu,” he stated.

He called on leaders to be transparent and accountable, urging Kenyans to keep watch and speak out against the mismanagement of public resources.

“Naamini sisi, Wakenya, tuna macho; tuendele kuona na tuendele kusema tusinyamaze,” Kivuva stated.

Ruto’s trip to China

Ruto is scheduled to have an eight-day visit to China shortly after the Easter holidays.

On his trip, the president is pursuing a strategy of loan portfolio diversification, where the Renminbi (RMB) is increasingly seen as a viable alternative.

By securing RMB-denominated financing through institutions such as the China Eximbank, Ruto is looking to reduce Kenya’s exposure to dollar shocks while accessing concessional terms and longer repayment periods. People Daily Digital understands that Kenya is negotiating for loans tied to revenue-generating infrastructure, ensuring that borrowed funds yield economic returns through tolling, taxation, and industrial productivity.

Ruto is also expected to sign MoUs and operational frameworks in the blue economy, scientific and technological cooperation, Belt and Road Initiative alignment, concessional loans, vocational education, artificial intelligence and digital economy governance, cybersecurity, and railway sector cooperation.

This is Ruto’s second trip to China in less than a year, after his trip in September 2024, where he asked China to support Africa’s call for reforms of the international financial system that, he said, was unjust to many countries in the Global South, including Africa.