At the end of 2023, representatives of Kenyan students and alumni at Beijing Jiaotong University (BJTU) wrote a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping, expressing their great pleasure in coming to China to learn railway operation and management knowledge. They also expressed their hope to serve as a bridge of friendship between Kenya and China. In January 2024, President Xi replied to the letter, encouraging them to continue contributing to the friendship between China and Kenya and between China and Africa.
Linet Wambui Kihoro was one of BJTU's alumnus from Kenya who joined in writing the letter to Xi. She graduated from BJTU, with a bachelor's degree, in 2021. In 2025, Kihoro returned to Beijing, to begin her master's program in Logistics Engineering and Management, at BJTU. Kihoro's experiences in China, especially as an international student, have exposed her to the techniques of high-speed railway operations and management. More importantly, her experiences have provided her with a firsthand view of China's rapidly developing railway industry, and how China's experiences can be used to benefit her home country, Kenya.
'Meaningful Moment'
In his reply, Xi said the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) is a flagship project and a successful example of China-Kenya Belt and Road cooperation.
The SGR, built with Chinese technology and to Chinese standards, has powered the economic growth of Kenya, and even the eastern region of the African continent, by creating jobs, enhancing trade and improving transportation, since it officially began operating in 2017.
The 480-kilometer railway, built by China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), is the largest infrastructure project in Kenya. The railway connects Mombasa, a port city in southeastern Kenya, and Nairobi, the nation's capital. Mombasa is also the largest port city in east Africa.
In 2016, BJTU and CRBC established an undergraduate program especially for Kenyan students, so they could study railway development, operations and techniques in China. At that time, construction of SGR had been ongoing for about two years. Kihoro, then a high school graduate, applied for a scholarship, so she could be enrolled in BJTU, after she learned from a newspaper about the program. She was fortunate enough to be selected, and she relocated to Beijing and started her four-year study in 2017.
When asked about joining the other Kenyans in writing to President Xi, Kihoro told Women of China, "It was a very meaningful moment for me!"
As an undergraduate student at BJTU, Kihoro majored in engineering management. She studied the technical aspects of a railway system, and she learned disciplines relevant to railway operations, including management and innovation in railway techniques.
Exposure to China's advanced railway system gave Kihoro a clear vision of what was possible for Kenya. "The key takeaway for me, from the reply from President Xi, was the power of educational exchanges in shaping real connections between nations. I have always hoped to make a contribution to my own country, by promoting cooperation with China to reach common development," Kihoro said.
That motivation drove Kihoro to return to China late last year, to begin her master's program. Kihoro says returning to China felt like she was "coming back home," to where she began her journey in 2017.
Cooperation Changes Lives
Kihoro says she has long been impressed by the solid cooperation between China and Kenya, or more broadly, between China and Africa. "The cooperative projects go beyond infrastructure construction; they actually change people's lives," she says.
Citing SGR as an example, Kihoro says the project has substantially transformed how people travel in Kenya. "Before SGR officially opened in 2017, it used to take so many hours for people to move, or to transport goods. But, now, the railway is safe and reliable, and it has contributed to changing the entire transport landscape in Kenya," she explains.
Such cooperation is remarkable, Kihoro says, because the partnership formed between nations involves both their people and infrastructure construction. "These infrastructure projects have opened opportunities for people to grow and build practical skills. I am a living example of how powerful that impact can be. Through my involvement, I was able to access educational training in related courses, which truly changed my life. The experiences gave me the confidence and insight to navigate the job market, and helped me understand how important infrastructure projects are to the growth of a nation and to individuals' lives," says Kihoro.
New Journey
Last October, shortly after she began her master's program, Kihoro witnessed China's hosting of the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women, in Beijing. When asked for her impression of the grand gathering, to accelerate the process for women's all-round development, Kihoro said, "It was a very powerful reminder of how far we have come, as women, and how much more we can achieve when women stand together across borders. Right now, women are not just beneficiaries of development, they are 'shipping' development across the world. Women are breaking barriers, and continuously proving their capacity to assume leadership and advance innovation."
Kihoro says there is still great potential to enhance collaboration between China and Kenya, especially through education and technology communications. In particular, she adds, China has made great progress in the development of women's entrepreneurship and employment.
Does Kihoro plan to visit other areas of China while completing her master's degree? Where will she recommend her family and friends travel if they visit her in China? "First of all, I hope them to experience the high-speed trains and underground metro systems. This will be an exciting and memorable experience for them, and it will also help them appreciate how advanced infrastructure can transform everyday life. Secondly, I hope they will visit some iconic cultural sites, like the Forbidden City (Palace Museum) and the Great Wall. I want them to understand the history of where China has come from. Many people have seen China today, as a successful country. But they don't understand much about from which China has come. Besides, I'd like to try Sichuan cuisine (from southwest China) and Cantonese food (from south China) with my family and friends," Kihoro answers.
Photos from Ye Shan and Interviewee
(Women of China English Monthly February 2026)
Editor: Wang Shasha
