This archive report was first published on 2 August 2019.
On July 30, 2019, a container delivering a donation to Kenya's Parliament from the Chinese government arrived empty in Nairobi, prompting an investigation by Kenyan authorities.
The donation, described as a 'pledge of friendship,' included computers, projectors, and other items, which were part of a promise made by Cao Jianming, Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) of China, during a visit to Nairobi in April.
According to Michael Sialai, Clerk of the National Assembly, the container was opened in the presence of senior officials, revealing that it was empty.
"Upon opening of the container seals, the container was confirmed to have been empty," Sialai stated.
Ordinarily, under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, goods tagged 'diplomatic' cannot be opened by customs officials at the ports of entry, except if the sending or recipient diplomatic mission agrees to it.
Beijing had hired a company, M/S Bolloré Africa Logistics, to deliver the consignment, but the consignor had not responded to inquiries by the time of publishing.
Reacting to the incident, the Chinese Embassy in Kenya stated that it was 'shocked' by the development and was working with security agencies to investigate the matter.
