The Kenya China Economic and Trade Association (KCETA) on Tuesday donated a sum of money and materials to a school in Nairobi to finance its renovation and student meals. 

The KCETA, an umbrella body of Chinese enterprises based in Kenya, made the donation to Mcedo Beijing School located in Mathare, a slum in Nairobi.

Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Zhou Pingjian said the donation reaffirmed the long-standing China-Kenya friendship and fruitful cooperation.

Speaking at the donation ceremony, Zhou said the China-Kenya friendship dates back 600 years ago, noting that Chinese enterprises in Kenya and the Chinese community at large are committed to mutually beneficial cooperation with the East African nation.

Mcedo Beijing School currently hosts over 550 students at primary and secondary school levels and its initial construction in 2007 was funded by the Chinese Embassy in Kenya.

In November 2012, KCETA, along with other Chinese-funded institutions, raised fund to support the expansion of the school's infrastructure.

Bruce Lee, chairman of KCETA, said his association has provided support to Mcedo Beijing School every year in line with its corporate ethos and social responsibility to help meet the needs of the under-privileged members of the Kenyan society.

Benedict Kiage, director of Mcedo Beijing School, said the new financial support from Chinese enterprises in Kenya will help transform the school's facilities and meet the evolving needs of its students.

The KCETA had also provided furniture and other essential learning materials to the school, and at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the association donated food and anti-pandemic supplies to avert school dropouts and absenteeism, Kiage added.

Since the school's founding in 2007, 1,554 students have completed high school education, 889 have completed college studies, and 111 have graduated from university and secured jobs, Kiage said.