The Kenyan government on Thursday expressed its gratitude to China for contributing to the development of human resources in the county.

Speaking during a luncheon for the 2017 beneficiaries of the public service sponsorship programs, at the Economic and Commercial Counsellor's Office of the Chinese embassy in Kenya, Dennis Mutahi, director of Human Resources Development in the state department of public service and youth, noted China's assistance, especially through short-term related courses and seminars.

"The Chinese government has helped to equip public servants with knowledge, skills and competences needed to enhance their performance," he said, adding that the sponsorship comes through the China Technical Cooperation Assistance Programme (TCAP).

The public servants have been equipped with knowledge in education, agriculture, trade, telecommunication, information technology, infrastructure development, malaria control, environment, public policy/administration, security, diplomacy, and business process re-engineering.

"The training initiatives extended to Kenyans by the Chinese government are driven by demand for skills, knowledge, and attitude required in enhancing performance," Mutahi said.

He said that feedback from an evaluation done a year ago reveals that the skills, knowledge and experiences that beneficiaries have gained from training in China have led to improved performance and ``thereby contributed to the growth of the Kenyan economy".

Mutahi said that Kenya's potential lies in its people, the reason the government is committed to improving the quality of its human resource base as envisaged in Kenya's Vision 2030-the country's economic blue print.

Since 2011, through bilateral and multilateral channels, China has run different kinds of research and training programs for developing countries. Kenya has always been a main recipient country.

According to Guo Ce, the economic and commercial counsellor at the Chinese embassy in Kenya, between 2015 and 2017, China sponsored 98 Kenyans to study at such well-known Chinese universities as Tsinghua, Peking and Tongji.

Guo said that the embassy will be organizing 10 bilateral seminars in 2018, covering various fields such as health, economy and trade, security, infrastructure and environment protection.

"We welcome more local people to take part in these trainings and take this opportunity to learn more about China," he said.

Guo said that China-sponsored training serves as a channel for facilitating people-to-people connections, which he said is the source of unity and cooperation.

"After studying in China, we believe the trainees will have a better understanding of China's policies, economy, culture, science, and people. This, will have a positive and far-reaching impact on their future work and life," he said.

Kariuki Kimani, one of the trainings beneficiaries and the CE of Soulstone Foundation, attended a three-week seminar on business investment.

"I'm grateful to the Chinese government for giving me such an opportunity and ensuring that I get very crucial information for development of my country," he said.

Stephen Rono, another beneficiary of the sponsorship program and who works with Kenya Prisons Service, said that he learned a lot, especially about the discipline, commitment and enthusiasm that Chinese exhibit in their work.

"I will ensure that I'm always committed, punctual and that I uphold a lot of discipline in my work," he said.

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