At 26, Vicky Wangechi expertly navigates the streets of China’s Northern Capital on her scooter. In a country renowned for its efficient and varied public transport system, she finds the scooter a cost-effective way to cover short distances.
Life in China has become second nature to the civil engineering student, whose journey from Kenya was sparked by the launch of the Mombasa–Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway. That project, she says, opened doors for scholarship opportunities.
“I got my national identity card just as the SGR was being launched. It felt symbolic,” says Vicky, a Starehe Girls Centre alumnus who scored an impressive A plain (82 points) in her KCSE.
Vicky Wangechi, 26, is a Kenyan Civil Engineer student pursuing a PhD course majoring in Highway and Railway at Beijing Jiaotong University in China.
Photo credit: Pool
She had always wanted to be a civil engineer. So when the opportunity to study in China came knocking, she took the interview test—and passed.
Vicky landed in China in March 2017, accompanied by 34 other Kenyan students. It was springtime, yet the cold surprised her.
“I thought it was freezing—and it wasn’t even winter!” she laughs. “It was my first time experiencing cold weather.”
“Back in Kenya, you might think a two-lane road is enough between towns. But here, you see eight-lane highways and massive interchanges. It’s mind-blowing,” she says as we walk down a Beijing street, bustling yet uncrowded despite China’s massive population.
In one session on global development, Mr Yang Baozhen, former Chinese consul to France and senior project officer at the Canadian International Development Agency, noted:“China’s experience shows that development is the most effective way to eradicate poverty. Only through economic growth and social progress can people achieve higher living standards and a better life.”
Later, in a local restaurant, Vicky scans a menu filled with Chinese characters using her smartphone. She translates it for me and we agree on pizza.
Learning Mandarin, she says, was her first course when she arrived. Her university’s programme eased her language transition—and even helped her immerse herself in Chinese culture.
“One summer, I was sent to Inner Mongolia for cultural exchange. I stayed with a family that lived on grassland and slept in their yard,” she says.
“They eat a lot of lamb, and it reminded me of nyama choma. They also have many yoghurt varieties—that really made us Africans feel at home.”
In September 2017, she joined Beijing Jiaotong University for a four-year civil engineering degree. Despite the course’s intensity, she unwinds by acting in short films and modelling in both Mandarin and English. She also visits Kenya occasionally.
Vicky graduated in 2021. With Covid-19 restrictions still in place, she opted not to return home and instead applied for a Master’s degree alongside three classmates. She was one of the three accepted. A year after graduating with her Master’s, she found herself back on campus—this time as a PhD student.
“I didn’t want to return home without money, so I chose to pursue my PhD,” she explains. “I’m proud of my mum for sending me to schools where teachers encouraged me to work hard. I’ll graduate at 29, which still leaves me with many years to build my career.”
Wanjala Bakari, 27, is a Kenyan student pursuing a Masters course in Development and Educational Psychology at Tianjin Normal University in Beijing.
Photo credit: Pool
More than an academic destination
Back at my hotel later that evening, I chat with Wanjala Bakari, 27, another Kenyan student based in Beijing, via WeChat—the Chinese equivalent of WhatsApp.
Wanjala is pursuing a Master’s degree in development and educational psychology at Tianjin Normal University.
He estimates it would take him an hour to reach my hotel: 30 minutes on a high-speed train costing 68 yuan (about Sh1,200), then another 30 minutes on the subway (20 yuan or Sh354). But eager to explore, I offer to meet him instead.
It’s May 4, 2025, at 10 am, but the high-speed train is fully booked, so we schedule our interview for the following week. It’s a significant day—Bakari is defending his thesis.
“I’m relieved—it went well,” he says, exhaling deeply.
For Bakari, China has been more than an academic destination.
“My worldview has expanded. I’ve met people from diverse backgrounds who’ve become lifelong friends,” he says with a smile.
“As a good listener, I learn how different cultures approach complex issues—and it’s fascinating.”
Bakari holds a Bachelor’s degree in communication and public relations from the University of Kabianga, Kericho. It was during his undergraduate studies that his passion for Mandarin was rekindled.
He sat for the Chinese language proficiency exam and scored 285 out of 300. That achievement led to his selection among 21 students for a Winter Camp in China, organised by the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi.
“We visited iconic sites like the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, and the Imperial Palace, and sampled authentic Chinese cuisine—from hot pots to Peking Duck,” he recalls.
Raised in Wamono village, western Kenya, and later a pupil at Kaprot DEB Primary School, Bakari says he lacked role models growing up. Things got tougher at Kabkara Secondary School, where he had to forgo admission to a prestigious school due to financial constraints.
“But I was determined to succeed. At university, I feared I wouldn’t fit in here—language barriers, making friends, homesickness—but I met people who welcomed and supported me.
“We now make it a tradition to support every new student from Kenya. That sense of community is what kept me grounded.”
Gillian Wanjiru, 29, is a Kenyan youth working in Beijing.
Photo credit: Pool
From dealer to full time employee
At a seminar later in the week, I meet Gillian Wanjiru, 29.
“I first came to China in 2013. I studied Chinese in Beijing until 2016, then pursued a Bachelor’s in Business Administration in Shanghai,” she says.
In 2022, she briefly returned to Kenya but is now back in Beijing, working at StarTimes headquarters.
Gillian’s journey began back in Kenya during the digital migration phase, where she sold StarTimes decoders alongside her mother in supermarkets.
“I honestly don’t remember how I got the job. It just happened,” she laughs.
Her work ethic earned her a promotion. Today, she translates scripts from English to Kiswahili and does voice dubbing for the broadcaster. She also occasionally appears on a weekly TV segment.
“I consider myself an upcoming TV personality,” she says. “I also plan to pursue a Master’s degree and deepen my Mandarin skills.”
“The diet was tough on my stomach—I lost a lot of weight. And I was always dependent on a translator. Even simple tasks like shopping were difficult,” she says.
Now fluent and tech-savvy, she finds life in Beijing much easier.
“Growing up in Embu, I used to dream of the US. But I’ve fallen in love with China—the culture and the language.”
David Gikaru is a Kenyan architect who studied in China between 1986-1991 after he secured a university scholarship.
Photo credit: Pool
Architect David Gikaru of the Kenya–China Alumni Association is among the first wave of Kenyans who studied in China in the 1980s. He secured a government scholarship in 1986 and spent five years studying architecture.
After graduating from Southeast University, he walked into the Chinese embassy in Kenya, seeking work.
“One diplomat handed me a letter to an engineer, who hired me as a translator,” says Gikaru, a Mangu High School alumnus. “I later joined the Ministry of Public Works.”
Now back in Kenya, Gikaru stays connected through a vibrant alumni network.
“We have a WhatsApp group where we share job opportunities and advice,” he says.
His counsel to prospective international students? “Expect culture shock—but embrace it. That’s how growth begins.”
