Model Confucius Institute launched at University of Nairobi

"Mine is to congratulate the University of Nairobi fraternity for all the support they have continued to give the Confucius Institute. I also want to salute the leadership at Tianjin Normal University and the People's Republic of China for their continued partnership and for sponsoring Kenyan scholars," he added.

In addition to congratulating the Confucius Institute at University of Nairobi for winning the honor as a Model Confucius Institute, Zhao Xiyuan, minister-counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in Kenya, said that achievement is not only great and admirable in the field of education but also contributes a lot to Chinese-Kenyan connectivity and mutual learning.

"The Confucius Institute at University of Nairobi has provided high quality training services, opportunities and platforms which has been well received and praised by the local community. The title of Model Confucius Institute is a deserving compliment to you," Zhao said.

According to Stephen Kiama, vice-chancellor at the University of Nairobi, 18,000 people have participated in Chinese language classes, 90,000 have experienced Chinese cultural activities and more than 500 have secured scholarships to study in China in the last 15 years since the launch of the Confucius Institute.