Kenyans view China’s affect extra positively than that of the USA, a brand new survey reveals, reflecting the shifting steadiness of worldwide financial energy as Beijing expands its commerce, infrastructure financing and funding footprint throughout Africa.
The survey, performed by the pan-African analysis group, Afrobarometer, discovered China enjoys the strongest rankings amongst exterior powers at 64 %, adopted by the US at 60 %.
India was ranked third at 48 %, forward of the European Union, which additionally acquired beneficial assessments from 47 % of the respondents.
Kenya’s former colonial energy, Britain, was ranked fourth, whereas Russia ranked least of the sampled superpowers.
“China leads the sphere in African public opinion. Throughout 38 nations, 62 % fee China’s financial and political affect as constructive, a determine that has held regular since 2019/2021,” says Afrobarometer, a non-profit company headquartered in Accra, Ghana.
“In distinction, constructive perceptions of the USA have slipped (from 59 to 53percent throughout 30 nations), with unfavourable rankings rising in parallel.”
China’s robust standing displays greater than 20 years of deep financial engagement with Africa.
Beijing has grow to be the most important buying and selling companion for greater than 120 nations and has expanded its affect by the Belt and Street Initiative, infrastructure financing and manufacturing investments.
In Kenya, Chinese language-supported tasks embrace roads, railways, ports and vitality infrastructure, making Asian big one of many nation’s most seen growth companions.
The US stays a serious energy, and is the world’s largest economic system in nominal phrases, the main monetary energy and a major supply of overseas direct funding, expertise and innovation.
The European Union additionally stays considered one of Kenya’s largest export markets and an essential growth and commerce companion.
The survey suggests Africans don’t see these relationships as mutually unique.
“The clearest discovering could also be that Africans don’t see these relationships as a zero-sum contest. Attitudes in the direction of the main powers are positively, not negatively, correlated. For instance, residents who view China favourably are additionally extra prone to view the USA favourably,” Afrobarometer says within the report.
“This sample is according to the diplomatic positioning of many African governments and displays a strategic calculation – in a extra aggressive multipolar world, non-alignment might be leveraged.”
The 2026 African insights report, the third in Afrobarometer’s annual flagship collection, attracts on nationally consultant surveys throughout 38 nations surveyed in 2024/2025 to look at citizen attitudes on some core points, together with commerce and migration.
The findings assist the view that many African nations desire to have interaction a number of companions moderately than align solely with one world energy. That method mirrors Kenya’s overseas coverage.
Nairobi continues to domesticate ties with China, the USA, the EU, India and different companions whereas avoiding dependence on anyone nation.
The technique permits Kenya to pursue funding, commerce and growth alternatives throughout competing geopolitical blocs.
Russia, nonetheless, continues to lag behind the opposite powers in public notion regardless of rising diplomatic and business engagement with Africa.
Moscow has sought deeper cooperation with Kenya by fertiliser provides, vitality, mining, schooling and commerce. But these efforts haven’t translated into comparable public goodwill.
“Russia is struggling to make positive aspects regardless of its rising continental footprint. Consciousness of Russia has elevated, however newly fashioned opinions are extra unfavourable than constructive,” Afrobarometer says.
The report provides that former colonial powers have skilled the sharpest long-term decline in recognition.
The survey additionally discovered robust assist for non-alignment.
Amongst respondents who have been conscious of the Russia-Ukraine battle, 72 % most popular their nation to stay impartial.
This displays a broader desire amongst African residents to keep up strategic flexibility in an more and more multipolar world, in keeping with the report.
